The UTRGV School of Medicine hosted a virtual discussion last Wednesday focusing on the impact that COVID-19 has had on different parts of the country, including Hidalgo County.
A variety of guests and panelists attended the discussion such as U.S. Rep. Adriano Espaillat (D-New York), U.S. Rep. Vicente Gonzalez (D-Texas) and Dean of UTRGV School of Medicine and Executive Vice President for Health Affairs Dr. John Krouse.
Gonzalez starts the discussion off by listing the different statistics of COVID-19 in the Rio Grande Valley.
According to Gonzalez, there was more than a 4000% increase in hospitalizations from May to July, the Valley has made up 17% of all fatalities in Texas due to COVID-19, with 1,900 deaths in Hidalgo County alone.
Doctors from different states also attended to speak about their experiences with COVID-19 in their respective hospitals, such as Chairman of the Board of SOMOS Community Care Dr. Ramon Tallaj who explains how the situation developed in New York.
“This sanitary crisis [turned] into a humanitarian crisis… People lose their job…they have no food, no job… We intervene,” Tallaj said.
Chief Medical Officer at DHR Health in Edinburg Dr. Robert Martinez reminds Rio Grande Valley residents on ways to stop the spread of COVID-19.
“It’s simple things right, don’t sneeze on somebody, don’t shake hands with somebody after you’re sick or you touch your mouth,” Martinez said. These are simple things that we have gotten away from and we forget.”
Hidalgo County Health Authority Dr. Ivan Melendez was the last guest to speak and mentions he recovered from COVID-19 himself. He goes on to share what he has learned from the pandemic.
“In the future, now and forward, I think we need to focus more on being able to get our community in general healthier…that we’re better prepared to handle these diseases,” Melendez said.
The discussion closed off with Gonzalez by pointing out the importance of the discussion and learning from it to better prepare for a potential second wave of COVID-19 or any future pandemic.
The discussion can be viewed on the UTRGV School of Medicine’s Facebook page.
For Vaquero News, I’m Rodolfo Alvarado.
