CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The five major hospitals in Corpus Christi are ready for the overflow of acute COVID-19 patients that are being experienced at several Texas cities.
3News spoke with officials who say preparations have been made.
El Paso city officials have asked that residents stay at home for two weeks because of a surge in coronavirus cases.
As a result of the spike in El Paso and other Texas cities, local hospitals have been gearing up to handle overflow patients with acute COVID-19 symptoms.
“We are starting to see a little bit of the spike here in Corpus Christi but because of what we learned earlier with our larger spike, we are more ready now than ever before,” said Medical Director at the city county health district, Dr. Kim Onufrak.
Dr. Onufrak says all five hospitals in the city are ready for COVID-19 patients to be sent from El Paso or any other Texas city.
Dr. Onufrak says we have around 200 existing patient beds available at Spohn Shoreline,
Spohn Couth, Dr's Regional, Bay Area and even Driscoll Children's Hospital could handle some adult COVID patients.
Hilary Watts, a spokesperson for the Coastal Bend Regional Advisory Council says there are currently no transfer patients in Corpus Christi, but a few have been sent to a McAllen hospital so far. Dr. Onufrak says we have the resources.
“We have enough ventilators; we have enough staff,” said Dr. Onufrak. “You know we have FEMA nurses that are still here and then we can always bring in some more.”
Twenty nurses from around the state were recently sent to Spohn Shoreline to cover for nurses who have tested positive for the virus.
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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