As medical professionals continue dealing with a surge in COVID-19 patients, the impact is certainly being felt across Houston-area hospitals.
“Right now, the hospitals are completely full,” said Dr. George Williams, an ICU physician with UTHealth Houston and LBJ Hospital.
Due to the number of COVID-19 patients coming in, Williams said ICU bed space at LBJ and Ben Taub hospitals, like many other hospitals, has become scarce.
“It’s a war zone in terms of how packed it is. It also feels like a war zone, in terms of how sick the patients are,” he said.
Williams added while the uptick in patients led to substantial staffing challenges, reinforcements are on the way by the state and federal government.
“Thankfully several crisis nurses will be coming online on service either tomorrow or Friday. So that’ll be a tremendous relief for our staffing here,” he said.
However, Williams said society is far from out of the woods in this latest surge of COVID-19 cases. That’s why he’s urging people to take the necessary precautions to stay safe and healthy.
“I just implore people not to take that lightly. Please take every preventative measure you can. Get vaccinated, wash your hands, wear a mask,” said Williams.