March 1, 2021
COVID-19 Update
Good morning. Hope you are enjoying this beautiful spring weather. This week brings more good news as COVID-19 numbers continue to improve both locally and worldwide and further fiscal relief appears likely.
Over the weekend the House passed the American Rescue Plan. If successful in the Senate, this would mean more than $300 million for El Paso area government and over $500 million to help re-open regional schools.
The past week the US has seen a 26 percent decrease in average daily cases (currently 67,868 per day) versus the previous two weeks (compared with a 44 percent decrease last week).
Today worldwide COVID-19 vaccinations have reached 241 million (205 million last Monday). US vaccinations stand at 75 million (63 million last week) and remain 4th best per capita.
This equates to 3.1% of the world population and 23% of the US population. To clarify, following per capita vaccinations is a method of comparing vaccination efforts in different places. However, it includes all doses given and does not represent the proportion of fully immunized people.
241 Million Doses = 3.1%
7.8 Billion Population
The US continues to lead in total vaccinations.
US: 23 Vaccination doses per 100 people
America 4th best per capita
El Paso continues to make progress toward our threshold for herd immunity (between 100,000 and 200,000 vaccinated). As of today 126,177 (113,149 last week) have received at least one dose and 72,160 (56,818 last week) have received both. (Our population 16 and older is 640,180).
There has still been no information from the State of Texas as to our vaccine allotment. Last week we were able to submit a preliminary request for the single dose Janssen vaccine. As before, please get vaccinated as soon as possible wherever you can. CVS, Walgreens and Walmart all plan to join the effort and there are links to these below. Walmart has announced only the Cielo Vista location will be administering the vaccine. Most still do not allow registration but check back often. Nearly all sites run out of vaccine reservations within minutes of opening registration. Please try to register early each morning. Remember vaccine availability changes often as new shipments arrive. Be persistent and check all avenues regularly. Those who have been able to receive the vaccine have done so through persistence (and some luck).
Vaccination Links:
City of El Paso Department of Public Health
El Paso Times COVID-19 Vaccination Guide
myWELLNESS® COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Military Retirees / Active Duty: WBAMC call (915) 742-2915
Remember, so far these vaccines appear to prevent nearly 100% of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. To reiterate, we feel these vaccines are safe and extremely effective. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not for yourself, for the good of others. Here are our current numbers.
Average Daily New Cases: 316 (284 one week ago and 391 two weeks ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 345 (387 one week ago and 385 two weeks ago)—(22% of Total Beds / 60% of Available Beds)
Average Daily ICU Patients: 133 (148 one week ago and 143 two weeks ago)—(57% of Total Beds / 173% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 6,044 (6,811 one week and 7,989 two weeks ago—case tracking changed from confirmed to assumed negative)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
This week there has been a 11% increase in average daily new cases (38% decrease last week). The average number of hospitalized patients has decreased 12% (no change last week). Average ICU patients have decreased 11% (4% increase last week). Overall hospitalizations have improved four out of the past five weeks. Daily cases increased this week after three weeks of improvement.
Our current risk is similar to early October. Please do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe and you and those you associate with are vaccinated. We have had several families become infected after older family members received their first vaccine dose. Remember you are not immune until after the second dose (1 week after Pfizer and 2 weeks after Moderna) and you can still catch and transmit COVID-19.
As before, with the City’s new reporting criteria, the number of active cases is much lower. As of today, with 6,044 active cases, 1 in 139 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that 5 to 10 times this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 14 to 29 are infected. If 30,000 to 60,000 people are currently infected, there continues to be a danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Wishing you good health,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P1RC2K/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
February 22, 2021
COVID-19 Update
Greetings from Bizarro World. Last Monday, while El Paso battled frozen pipes and icy roads, many Texans were without electricity, heat or water. Two days ago the high here was 73 degrees!
There continues to be great optimism on the COVID-19 front. Over the past two weeks the US has had a 44 percent decrease in average daily cases (now down to 66,393/day). The previous two weeks saw a 39 percent decrease.
Today the total number of COVID-19 vaccinations given worldwide stands at 205 million, up from 173 million last Monday. The US continues to lead the world in total vaccinations at 63 million (53 million last week) and is 4th best in per capita vaccinations.
This equates to just over 2.6% of the world population and 19% of the US population (includes all doses given but some represent 2 doses per person).
205 Million Doses = 2.6%
7.8 Billion Population
Although slower than hoped for, the US continues to lead among larger nations.
US: 19 Vaccinations per 100 people
America in 4th place per capita
In El Paso we continue to progress toward our threshold for herd immunity (between 100,000 and 200,000 vaccinated). As of today 113,149 (107,126 last week) have received at least one dose and 56,818 (47,998 last week) have received both. (Our population 16 and older is 640,180).
We still await information from the State of Texas as to our vaccine supply but we are optimistic this will change within the next few weeks. As before, please get vaccinated as soon as possible wherever you can. CVS, Walgreens and Walmart have all announced plans to join the effort and there are links to these below. Most still do not allow registration but check back often. Nearly all sites run out of vaccine reservations within minutes of opening registration. Please try to register early each morning. Remember vaccine availability changes often as new shipments arrive. Be persistent and check all avenues regularly. Those who have been able to receive the vaccine have done so through persistence (and some luck).
Vaccination Links:
City of El Paso Department of Public Health
El Paso Times COVID-19 Vaccination Guide
myWELLNESS® COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Remember, so far these vaccines appear to prevent nearly 100% of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. To reiterate, we feel these vaccines are safe and extremely effective. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not for yourself, for the good of others. Here are our current numbers.
Average Daily New Cases: 284 (391 one week ago and 426 two weeks ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 387 (385 one week ago and 413 two weeks ago)—(22% of Total Beds / 68% of Available Beds)
Average Daily ICU Patients: 148 (143 one week ago and 159 two weeks ago)—(63% of Total Beds / 193% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 6,811 (7,989 one week and 34,780 two weeks ago—case tracking changed from confirmed to assumed negative)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
This week there has been a 38% decrease in average daily new cases (34% decrease last week). The average number of hospitalized patients is unchanged (7% decrease last week). Average ICU patients have increased 4% (11% decrease last week). Overall hospitalizations are nearly unchanged this week after four weeks in a row of improvement. Daily cases continue to decrease for the third week. This leaves us with risk similar to mid-October. Again, do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe and you are vaccinated. We have had several families become infected after older family members received their first vaccine dose. Remember you are not immune until after the second dose (1 week after Pfizer and 2 weeks after Moderna).
As before, with the City’s new reporting criteria, the number of active cases is much lower. As of today, with 6,811 active cases, 1 in 123 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that 5 to 10 times this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 10 to 20 are infected. If 40,000 to 80,000 people are currently infected, there continues to be a danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Wishing you good health,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P1RC2K/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
February 15, 2021
COVID-19 Update
Good morning on this beautiful wintery day. Today there is more good news on the COVID-19 front with the US seeing a sustained decreases in cases. Average daily cases are down 39% compared with two weeks ago.
As of today approximately 173 million COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered worldwide. On average nearly 6 million vaccinations were given per day over the last week. The US continues to lead the world in total vaccinations (nearly 53 million) and is 4th best in per capita vaccinations (the UK moving into 3rd place).
This equates to just over 2.2% of the world population and 16% of the US population (includes all doses given but some represent 2 doses per person). Although slower than hoped for, the US continues to lead among larger nations.
As is stands nearly 120,000 El Pasoans have tested positive for COVID-19. Estimates are that several times this number have actually been infected. If true, the number of vaccines necessary to achieve herd immunity could be fairly low (perhaps 100,000 to 200,000). We are rapidly approaching that goal. As of today 107,126 people have received at least one dose and 47,998 have received both. (Our population 16 and older is 640,180).
There is still no word from the State of Texas as to our vaccine supply but we are optimistic this will change within the next few weeks. As before, please get vaccinated as soon as possible wherever you can. CVS, Walgreens and Walmart have all announced plans to join the effort and there are links to these below. Most still do not allow registration but check back often. Nearly all sites run out of vaccine reservations within minutes of opening registration. Please try to register early each morning. Remember vaccine availability changes often as new shipments arrive. Be persistent and check all avenues regularly. Those who have been able to receive the vaccine have done so through persistence (and some luck).
Vaccination Links:
City of El Paso Department of Public Health
El Paso Times COVID-19 Vaccination Guide
myWELLNESS® COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Remember, so far these vaccines appear to prevent nearly 100% of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. To reiterate, we feel these vaccines are safe and extremely effective. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not for yourself, for the good of others. Here are our current numbers.
Average Daily New Cases: 391 (426 one week ago and 523 two weeks ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 385 (413 one week ago and 433 two weeks ago)—(24% of Total Beds / 67% of Available Beds)
Average Daily ICU Patients: 143 (159 one week ago and 157 two weeks ago)—(61% of Total Beds / 185% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 7,989 (34,780 one week and 35,625 two weeks ago—case tracking changed from confirmed to assumed negative)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
This week there has been a 34% decrease in average daily new cases (23% decrease last week). The average number of hospitalized patients has decreased by 7% (5% decrease last week). Average ICU patients have decreased 11% this week (unchanged last week). Overall there has been an improvement in hospitalizations for the fourth week in a row and a decrease in daily cases for two weeks. As before our current numbers remain worse than at any point before mid-October. Again, do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe and you are vaccinated. We have had several families become infected after older family members received their first vaccine dose. Remember you are not immune until after the second dose (1 week after Pfizer and 2 weeks after Moderna).
One big change as the City has modified their tracking of active cases to “assumed negative” from “confirmed negative.” This resulted in a massive reduction in the number of active COVID-19 cases. As of today, with 7,989 active cases, 1 in 105 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that 5 to 10 times this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 10 to 20 are infected. If 40,000 to 80,000 people are currently infected, there continues to be a danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Wishing you good health,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P1RC2K/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
February 8, 2021
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning. This week there is continued good news as cases continue to decline across the US. Average daily cases have declined over 30% (118,016 to 105,027) during the past 2 weeks. This may be a sign that the large COVID-19 peak is behind us. While it is not clear what exactly determines the ebb and flow of viral outbreaks, there is striking similarity in the timing of the 1918 influenza surges and those of COVID-19.
Of course, 1918 was long before the influenza vaccination. Whether there will be a March spike remains to be seen. However, another spike seems likely as the pace of vaccination will not reach the critical 70 to 90% required for herd immunity before then. We feel the combination of the number vaccinated coupled with those infected will get us near this threshold (in the industrialized world) by early summer.
The US continues to lead the world in total vaccinations and has climbed from 6th to 3rd place in per capita vaccinations. As of today approximately 128 million COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered worldwide with nearly 40 million of those in the US. This equates to just over 1.6% of the world population and nearly 12% of the US population (includes all doses given but some represent 2 doses per person).
At this time we still do not have a timeframe to receive our supply of vaccines. Please remain persistent and get vaccinated as soon as possible wherever you can. Walmart has announced plans to join the effort and the link is included below. This does not yet allow registration but check back often. As before these links will take you to online registration sites and sources of additional information. Nearly all sites run out of vaccine reservations within minutes of opening registration. Please try to register early each morning. Remember vaccine availability changes often as new shipments arrive. Be persistent and check all avenues regularly. Those who have been able to receive the vaccine have done so through persistence (and some luck).
Vaccination Links:
City of El Paso Department of Public Health
El Paso Times COVID-19 Vaccination Guide
myWELLNESS® COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Remember, so far these vaccines appear to prevent nearly 100% of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. To reiterate, we feel these vaccines are safe and extremely effective. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not for yourself, for the good of others. Here are our current numbers.
Average Daily New Cases: 426 (523 one week ago and 458 two weeks ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 413 (433 one week ago and 456 two weeks ago)—(25% of Total Beds / 72% of Available Beds)
Average Daily ICU Patients: 159 (157 one week ago and 161 two weeks ago)—(68% of Total Beds / 207% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 34,780 (35,625 one week and 35,126 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
This week there has been a 23% decrease in average daily new cases (14% increase last week). The average number of hospitalized patients has again decreased by 5% (5% decrease last week). Average ICU patients are unchanged this week (10% decrease last week). Overall there has been an improvement in hospitalizations for the third week in a row and a decrease in daily cases for one week. Unfortunately our current numbers remain worse than at any point before mid-October. Again, do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe and you are vaccinated. We have had several families become infected after older family members received their first vaccine dose. Remember you are not immune until after the second dose (1 week after Pfizer and 2 weeks after Moderna).
As of today, with 34,780 active cases, 1 in 24 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Wishing you good health,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P1RC2K/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
February 1, 2021
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning. Good news today as 48 states report sustained declines in new cases. This week the numbers in El Paso again show a mixed picture. Vaccinations continue to proceed at a modest pace but El Paso leads other cities in Texas in vaccinations per capita. The US leads the world in total vaccinations and remains the leader in vaccinations per capita among large nations.
The US leads the world in total vaccinations and remains the leader in vaccinations per capita among large nations.
As of today nearly 95 million COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered worldwide with over 31 million of those in the US. This equates to just over 1.2% of the world population and 9.4% of the US population.
Last week we were officially able to request several hundred doses of the Moderna vaccine. When we do receive the vaccine, we will rank our patients based on risk and administer it to the most vulnerable first. As we do not have a delivery date, if you have the chance, please get the vaccine sooner wherever you can.
The links below will take you to online registration sites and sources of additional information. Nearly all sites run out of vaccine reservations within minutes of opening registration. Please try to register early each morning. Remember vaccine availability changes often as new shipments arrive. Please be persistent and check all avenues regularly. Those who have been able to receive the vaccine have done so through persistence (and some luck).
Vaccination Links:
City of El Paso Department of Public Health
El Paso Times COVID-19 Vaccination Guide
myWELLNESS® COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Remember, so far these vaccines appear to prevent nearly 100% of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. To reiterate, we feel these vaccines are safe and extremely effective. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not for yourself, for the good of others. Here are our current numbers.
Average Daily New Cases: 523 (458 one week ago and 486 two weeks ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 433 (456 one week ago and 440 two weeks ago)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 392 (429 one week ago)—(22% of Total Beds / 69% of Available Beds)
Average Daily ICU Patients: 157 (161 one week ago and 153 two weeks ago)
ICU Patients Today: 130 (145 one week ago)—(56% of Total Beds / 169% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 35,625 (35,126 one week and 35,511 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
This week there has been a 14% increase in average daily new cases (6% decrease last week). The average number of hospitalized patients has decreased by 5% (6% decrease last week). Average ICU patients have decreased by 10% (5% decrease last week). Overall there has been an improvement in hospitalizations for the second week in a row but a significant increase in daily cases. Unfortunately our current numbers remain worse than at any point before mid-October. Again, do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe.
As of today, with 35,625 active cases, 1 in 24 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Wishing you good health,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P1RC2K/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
January 25, 2021
COVID-19 Alert
Greetings. Today is a solemn day. Today marks a grim milestone. Today we surpass the death toll of World War II—420,000. Only the Civil War (620,000 to 750,000), HIV/AIDS (730,000) and the 1918 Influenza ( 675,000) have caused greater devastation. Today we take a moment to remember and honor all those that have been lost to this wretched disease…
Like wars, epidemics are battles. We organize and deploy our forces to repel invaders and hunker down during attacks. As we near the eleventh month of this war, let us hope for respite in the form of organized leadership and mobilization of resources. It is time to end the loss of life and of livelihood. The United States has the highest overall death toll of any country. Despite having just 4% of the world’s population, we have 19% of the world’s deaths. Per capita among industrialized nations only Belgium, England and Italy are worse. But there is hope. Case numbers across the country appear to be diminishing and the vaccine continues to roll out.
As of today 63 million COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered worldwide with nearly 21 million of those in the US. This equates to 0.8% of the world population and 6% of the US population.
Local vaccination efforts continue to churn along at a modest pace. We have heard from the State of Texas and are officially in line to receive and distribute the Moderna vaccine. However, if you are able to receive the vaccine sooner, please do so. As before the links below will take you to online registration sites and sources of additional information. Nearly all sites run out of vaccine reservations within minutes of opening registration. Please try to register early each morning. Remember vaccine availability changes often as new shipments arrive. Please be persistent and check all avenues regularly. Those who have been able to receive the vaccine have done so through persistence (and some luck).
Vaccination Links:
City of El Paso Department of Public Health
El Paso Times COVID-19 Vaccination Guide
myWELLNESS® COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Remember, so far these vaccines appear to prevent nearly 100% of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. To reiterate, we feel these vaccines are safe and extremely effective. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not for yourself, for the good of others. Here are our current numbers.
Average Daily New Cases: 458 (486 one week ago and 557 two weeks ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 456 (440 one week ago and 414 two weeks ago)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 429 (457 one week ago)—(24% of Total Beds / 75% of Available Beds)
Average Daily ICU Patients: 161 (153 one week ago and 158 two weeks ago)
ICU Patients Today: 145 (157 one week ago)—(62% of Total Beds / 188% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 35,126 (35,511 one week and 35,408 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
This week there has been a 6% decrease in average daily new cases (compared to a 13% decrease last week). The average number of hospitalized patients has decreased by 6% (after increasing by 6% last week). Average ICU patients have decreased by 5% (unchanged last week). Overall there has been a small improvement this week. Unfortunately our current numbers remain worse than at any point before mid-October. Again, do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe.
As of today, with 35,126 active cases, 1 in 24 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Wishing you good health,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P1RC2K/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
January 18, 2021
COVID-19 Alert
Greetings and hope you enjoyed the fine weather this weekend. We are happy to report more and more of our patients have been able to receive the vaccine or are officially in line to do so.
As of today 40 million COVID-19 vaccinations have been administered worldwide. If you have been fortunate enough to be vaccinated, count your blessings, you are among 0.5% of the world population to do so.
Below are links to online registration sites and sources of additional information. Again, nearly all sites are currently out of vaccine. Remember this changes often as new shipments arrive. Please be persistent and check all avenues regularly. Those who have been able to receive the vaccine have done so through persistence (and some luck).
Vaccination Links:
City of El Paso Department of Public Health
El Paso Times COVID-19 Vaccination Guide
myWELLNESS® COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Remember, so far these vaccines appear to prevent nearly 100% of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. To reiterate, we feel these vaccines are safe and extremely effective. (Your doctors continue to do well 2 days after receiving the 2nd dose of the Pfizer vaccine.) Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not for yourself, for the good of others.
One important reminder. If you have mild to moderate COVID-19 there is now an effective treatment. Please notify us immediately if you have symptoms or exposure. Here are our current numbers.
Average Daily New Cases: 486 (557 one week ago and 354 two weeks ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 440 (414 one week ago and 397 two weeks ago)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 457 (392 one week ago)—(26% of Total Beds / 80% of Available Beds)
Average Daily ICU Patients: 153 (158 one week ago and 149 two weeks ago)
ICU Patients Today: 157 (148 one week ago)—(67% of Total Beds / 203% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 35,511 (35,408 one week and 34,607 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
This week there has been a 13% decrease in average daily new cases (compared to a 57% increase last week). The average number of hospitalized patients has increased by 6% (after declining 4% last week). Average ICU patients are essentially unchanged (153 vs. 158). This news is mixed but undoubtably positive in that cases are not continuing to increase. But, please remember, our current numbers remain worse than at any point before mid-October. Do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe.
As of today, with 35,511 active cases, 1 in 24 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Wishing all of you a safe, loving and prosperous 2021,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P1RC2K/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
January 11, 2021
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning. After a very eventful first week of 2021, there have been a couple important developments on the COVID-19 front.
UMC has announced they will begin administering the Moderna vaccine (in addition to Pfizer). Albertsons has become the first local pharmacy to offer the vaccine with more to follow suit. Watch for Walmart, CVS and Walgreens to come online over the next few weeks.
Below are links to online registration sites and sources of additional information. Nearly all sites are currently out of vaccine. Remember this changes almost daily as new shipments arrive. Please be persistent and check all avenues regularly. Those who have been able to receive the vaccine have done so through persistence (and some luck). Currently there are some 80,000 people registered to be vaccinated with an estimated 10,000 doses available this week. This will continue to improve over the next few weeks.
Vaccination Links:
City of El Paso Department of Public Health
El Paso Times COVID-19 Vaccination Guide
myWELLNESS® COVID-19 Vaccine Update
As world cases top 90 million and US cases 20 million, it is imperative as much of the world as possible receives these vaccines. Remember, so far they appear to prevent nearly 100% of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19. To reiterate, we feel these vaccines are safe and extremely effective. (Your doctors continue to do well 16 days after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.) Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not for yourself, for the good of others.
As we go to the numbers, after several weeks of dramatic improvement, we have seen a surge in infections among our patients. The City appears to be mirroring this. Remember, if you have mild to moderate COVID-19 there is now an effective treatment. Please notify us immediately if you have symptoms or exposure. Here are today’s figures.
Average Daily New Cases: 557 (354 one week ago and 266 two weeks ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 414 (397 one week ago and 454 two weeks ago)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 383 (399 one week ago)—(22% of Total Beds / 67% of Available Beds)
Average Daily ICU Patients: 158 (149 one week ago and 177 two weeks ago)
ICU Patients Today: 148 (145 one week ago)—(63% of Total Beds / 192% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 35,408 (34,607 one week and 35,122 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
This week there has been a 57% increase in average daily new cases. The average number of hospitalized patients has declined by 4%. Average ICU patients are up 6%. After much improvement, there is now a worrisome increase in daily cases. Remember our current numbers remain worse than at any point before mid-October. Please do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe.
As of today, with 35,408 active cases, 1 in 24 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Wishing all of you a safe, loving and prosperous 2021,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P2XDWJ/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
January 4, 2021
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning and Happy New Year! We hope you all had a restful and wonderful holiday break. Before we get to the numbers a brief update on vaccines.
In the past two weeks a number of people have been able to receive the Moderna vaccine through private offices. Those are listed in the last COVID-19 Vaccine Update (click here). The City of El Paso Department of Public Health has continued to roll out the Moderna vaccine as well. This is now open to non-medical persons who meet criteria (click here). UMC continues to be the primary provider of vaccines citywide and we are grateful for their initiative. As before, if you are able to receive the vaccine via another avenue, please forward the information to us so we can make it known to others.
Last week the Aztrazeneca DNA-based vaccine began to be administered in the UK. This vaccine is 70 to 90% effective preventing symptomatic COVID-19 infection but 100% effective preventing severe COVID-19. It holds new hope to the world as it is being sold at cost and does not require subzero handling.
There is much at stake and unless a critical mass become immune, COVID-19 will continue to ravage the world. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible, if not for yourself, then for the good of others. To reiterate, we feel these vaccines are safe and extremely effective. (Your doctors are doing well 9 days after receiving the Pfizer vaccine.)
Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 354 (266 previous 7 days)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 397 (454 previous 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 399 (441 one week ago)—(23% of Total Beds / 70% of Available Beds)
Average Daily ICU Patients: 149 (177 previous 7 days)
ICU Patients: 145 (170 one week ago)—(62% of Total Beds / 188% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 34,607 (35,122 one week and 36,082 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
This week there has been a 33% increase in average daily new cases. However, there has been a 10% reduction in the average number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 and average ICU admissions are down 16% compared with the previous week. Despite the generally good trend over the past several weeks, the situation still remains far worse today than at any point before mid-October. Please do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe.
As of today, with 34,607 active cases, 1 in 24 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Wishing all of you a safe, loving and prosperous 2021,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P2XDWJ/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
December 28, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning. Hope you had a restful and joyous holiday. We know that for many this year the holidays have been a mixed blessing. Our hearts go out to all who have felt the pain of loss this past week. Please know that you are not alone and that we are here to help. Don’t hesitate to reach out if we can be of assistance. Let’s hope we can soon put the negativity of 2020 behind us.
These past few days a few of our patients have been able to receive the vaccine. There seems to be little rhyme or reason regarding patient selection. The most important factors we have seen thus far have been persistence and initiative. Please watch for regular updates regarding vaccine status. We are grateful to many of you for forwarding information about your vaccine experience. Please continue to do this and we will make it available to all our patients.
After many calls and inquires we were able to receive our first doses of the Pfizer vaccine at UMC Hospital this past Saturday and can report that, other than localized soreness, there have been no side effects so far. The CDC has a tracking application that will follow your experience with the vaccine (www.vsafe.cdc.gov). We have tremendous faith that the small amount of mRNA present in both the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines is both safe and extremely effective. After all, there are many millions of times more mRNA in a single bite of steak than in these vaccines. Please get vaccinated as soon as possible.
To add to the good news of the vaccines our cases and hospitalizations remain headed in the right direction. Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 266 (332 previous 7 days)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 454 (548 previous 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 441 (505 one week ago)—(25% of Total Beds / 77% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 170 (199 one week ago)—(73% of Total Beds / 221% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 35,122 (36,082 one week and 37,308 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
Overall, there has been a 20% reduction in average daily new cases and a 17% reduction in the average number of patients hospitalized for COVID-19. Average ICU admissions are down 16%. The encouraging trend over the past few weeks continues and we appear to be well on our way to safety. However, the situation still remains far worse today than at any point before mid-October. Please do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe.
As of today, with 35,122 active cases, 1 in 24 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
All of us in the myWELLNESS family wish you a safe and wonderful holiday!
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P2XDWJ/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
December 24, 2020
COVID-19 Vaccine Update
Merry Christmas Eve and happy holidays! We are reaching out with a quick update on vaccinations. News outlets reported yesterday that University Medical Center West began vaccinating patients with risk factors. This includes those 75 and older or 18 and older with chronic illness (diabetes, obesity, asthma, immunodeficiency, etc). It may be possible to make an appointment by calling (915) 544-1200. However, we have not been able to get through yesterday or today.
We are currently waiting for the City of El Paso Department of Public Health to begin offering the vaccine to the public. You can follow the status here:
http://epstrong.org/vaccine.php.
Currently only healthcare providers and longterm care facility residents are eligible through the City. If you have a family member in either of those groups, you can apply here:
https://elpasotx.seamlessdocs.com/f/COVID19VaccinePriorityGroupRegistration
While it is surprising that UMC is offering the vaccine to what was supposed to be Phase 1c patients (many longterm care residents and healthcare professionals have not yet been vaccinated), it is exciting news. Please get vaccinated as soon as you can!
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
December 21, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Happy holidays and happy winter solstice! Today not only marks the peak of winter and shortest day of the year, it also is the day of the “Great Conjunction” where Saturn and Jupiter will appear as one very bright star in the night sky. We caught a glimpse of it this morning and it is worth seeing.
As many of you know, the first Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines have begun to be administered in El Paso. There is no word yet about vaccinations for people in Phase 1b or 1c. We are watching the situation closely and will update you as soon as we have any new information. Please watch for another vaccine update later this week.
Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 332 (429 previous 7 days)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 548 (648 previous 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 505 (613 one week ago)—(29% of Total Beds / 88% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 199 (247 one week ago)—(84% of Total Beds / 255% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 36,082 (37,308 one week and 37,915 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
Overall, there has been a 33% reduction in daily new cases and a 13% reduction in the daily hospital census. Average ICU admissions are down 19%. The encouraging trend over the past couple of weeks continues and we appear to be well on our way to safety. However, the situation still remains far worse today than at any point before mid-October. Please do not relax your efforts until we are truly safe.
As of today, with 36,082 active cases, 1 in 23 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread. You must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
All of us in the myWELLNESS family wish you a safe and wonderful holiday!
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P2XDWJ/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
COVID-19 Vaccine Update
As most of you know, the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is now FDA authorized and has shipped. Today a critical care nurse in New York became the first person in the US to receive the vaccine outside of the trial. El Paso hospitals should start to administer our first doses in the next few days. This vaccine requires very cold temperatures for storage and patients will have to receive 2 doses. At this point determining who receives the vaccine is divided into phases and the first phase into 3 groups.
Phase 1
1a — Frontline healthcare personnel / residents of longterm care facilities (24 million)
1b — Essential workers (87 million)
1c — High risk adults age 65+ / comorbidities (53 million)
There are an estimated 21 million healthcare workers and 3 million residents of nursing homes and other long-term-care facilities. As these will be offered the vaccine first, there is little chance others will receive the vaccine in 2020. At the moment, there will be only enough vaccine for about 20 million people before the end of the year. Following this, estimates are 5 to 10 million doses will be available each week. Based on this, most people in Phase 1 should expect to have access to the vaccine between January and March, 2021.
Please stay tuned for more updates over the next few weeks. As information becomes available, we will do our best to summarize and forward it to all.
Stay safe,
Douglas Payne, MD
CG Escandon, MD
Reference:
(https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/acip/meetings/downloads/slides-2020-12/COVID-02-Dooling.pdf).
December 14, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning. Please be on the lookout for our vaccine update later today. There is continued good news today as our city’s numbers improve further. For the first time since October, the number of known active cases has begun to decrease. This is coupled with a consistent decrease in the number of hospitalized patients and daily positive tests. The expected Thanksgiving surge should have begun to be seen by now. The fact that our numbers are improving despite the holiday is very good news indeed.
We speculate there has been an effect of Thanksgiving travel and gathering and that our numbers would likely have been even better without the holiday. However, the fact they are improving under these circumstances, is very encouraging. As before, this shows that the measures we are taking are working. Avoiding indoor spaces like family gatherings, bars, restaurants, schools, churches and gyms is key. Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 429 (579 previous 7 days)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 648 (813 previous 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 613 (705 one week ago)—(35% of Total Beds / 107% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 247 (277 one week ago)—(105% of Total Beds / 320% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 37,308 (37,915 one week and 37,267 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
Area hospitals remain full beyond normal capacity but the average daily number of hospitalized patients has declined from 813 the previous week to 648 this week. Average daily ICU admissions continue to improve from 291 last week to to 249 this week.
Please note that the number of COVID-19 patients currently in ICU is about 3.2 times normal available bed capacity. Overall hospitalizations are at full normal capacity. There is further surge capacity but, if the number of hospitalized people were to reach 2,000, the chances of dying could be as much as 30 times higher.
As of today, with 37,308 active cases, 1 in 23 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread. You must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
KN95 masks: (https://www.amazon.com/dp/B089P2XDWJ/ref=dp_prsubs_1)
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
December 7, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning. Today we pause to remember Pearl Harbor. With the onset of World War II America would face nearly four years of suffering and the loss of nearly 420,000 lives. It was 79 years ago today the United States stood on the brink overlooking unimaginable tragedy and the evil of men. Today, we face an enemy of a different sort but one no less deadly. With 282,345 deaths and much of our holiday travel season still ahead, there is every chance COVID-19 could surpass the devastation of World War II. But, unlike that day so long ago, we hopefully stand closer to the end of our danger than the beginning.
With the accelerated spread of COVID-19 El Paso has experienced, it becomes ever more likely El Paso will achieve some degree of herd immunity. Based on current rates of infection, we believe this may occur in early 2021. At the same time, El Paso will receive its first round of vaccines this month, with an initial distribution of 7,000 doses to area hospitals (more on vaccines soon). These developments give us great optimism that we will finally be safe within the next 4 to 6 months. But until that time comes, we must maintain our resolve and, like the Greatest Generation, think more of each other than of ourselves.
Happily today brings El Paso an improving picture. Our number of patients hospitalized continues to decline. Hospitals still remain full beyond normal capacity but the number of hospitalized patients has declined from 905 last Monday to 705 today. In addition, our ICU admissions have also improved for the first time in several weeks (277 today vs. 317 last Monday).
The effect of Thanksgiving travel and gathering will likely begin to be seen over the next two weeks. But, thankfully, our numbers have begun to improve for the first time since early November. This shows that the measures we are taking are working. Avoiding indoor spaces like family gatherings, bars, restaurants, schools, churches and gyms is key. Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 579 (666 previous 7 days)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 813 (1,011 previous 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 705 (905 one week ago)—(40% of Total Beds / 123% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 277 (317 one week ago)—(118% of Total Beds / 360% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 37,915 (37,267 one week and 35,915 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
Please note that the number of COVID-19 patients currently in ICU is about 3.5 times normal available bed capacity. Overall hospitalizations are 1.2 times normal capacity. There is further surge capacity but, if the number of hospitalized people were to double from 1,000 to 2,000, the chances of dying could be as much as 30 times higher.
As of today, with 37,915 active cases, 1 in 22 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread. You must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
November 30, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning and hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Today we have two important updates. Let’s start with some exciting news.
El Paso has been chosen as one of the limited number of cities to receive the synthetic monoclonal antibody treatment bamlanivimab. In a small trial, this treatment has been shown to reduce the chances of being hospitalized for patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 infection. Patients have to have a referral and appointment*. The treatment is a single IV dose and takes about an hour. It is only available to those 12 years old and older with risk factors. Here are the criteria:
All patients
+ PCR SARS-CoV-2 test result (not a rapid test)
Mild to moderate COVID-19 symptoms
Not ill enough to require hospitalization
Plus
Adults (18 and up)
Obesity (BMI >/= 35)
Diabetes
Chronic kidney disease
Immunosuppression or on immunosuppressive drugs
Age 65 or older
Heart disease
Hypertension
COPD or asthma
Children (12 to 17)
Obesity (>85% for age)
Sickle cell disease
Heart disease
Neurodevelopmental disorders (like cerebral palsy)
Medical related technological dependence (like being on a ventilator or having a feeding tube)
Asthma or chronic respiratory disease that requires daily medication to control
*If you meet criteria, please call us and we will coordinate your referral as soon as possible.
Keep in mind the study had very few patients and did not show a reduction in mortality. More data will be required to truly understand its effectiveness. However, there have been no major adverse events and it may substantially reduce the chances of COVID-19 progressing to a more serious infection.
Our second bit of news is our numbers have improved somewhat. While some of this reflects reduced testing over the holiday, the number of patients hospitalized has continued to decline. Although hospitals are still full beyond normal capacity, total hospitalized patients have declined from 1,040 last Monday to 905 today. Less reassuring however, ICU patients have remained essentially unchanged (317 today vs 321 last Monday).
While the effect of Thanksgiving travel and gathering remains to be seen, our numbers have not gotten worse since early November. This shows that the measures we are taking are working. Avoiding indoor spaces like family gatherings, bars, restaurants, schools, churches and gyms is key. Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 666 (1,167 previous 7 days)
New Cases Today: 476* (332 one week ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 1,011 (1,086 previous 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 905 (1,040 one week ago)
(52% of Total Beds / 158% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 317 (321 one week ago)
(136% of Total Beds / 412% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 37,267 (35,915 one week and 33,935 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
Please note that the number of COVID-19 patients currently in ICU is about 4 times normal available bed capacity. Overall hospitalizations are 1.6 times normal capacity. There is further surge capacity but, if the number of hospitalized people were to double from 1,000 to 2,000, the chances of dying could be as much as 30 times higher.
As of today, with 37,267 active cases, 1 in 23 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2-3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread. You must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, the air in your home very likely contains viral particles.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
*COVID-19 Case reporting may be delayed. Watch average numbers this week for more insight.
Links:
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
November 23, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Hello everyone and happy Thanksgiving! Although this holiday season will hopefully be unlike any other in our lifetimes, we hope all of you have a safe and wonderful day of family and sharing.
With that in mind, let’s look at the numbers and try to objectively assess our situation. Is it safe to get together? For the past five weeks El Paso has seen unprecedented numbers of COVID-19 infections, many serious enough to require hospitalization. How do our current figures compare?
Unfortunately, the reality is that this trend continues virtually unchanged and our hospitals remain full beyond normal capacity. From October 18th to November 2nd the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations doubled in just two weeks from 496 to 998. This past two weeks the number remains relatively the stable (1,111 to 1,040). As before, this shows that the measures we are taking are working. Avoiding indoor spaces like family gatherings, bars, restaurants, schools, churches and gyms is key. Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 1,167 (1,545 previous 7 days)
New Cases Today: 332* (1,633 one week ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 1,086 (1,040 previous 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 1,040 (1,111 one week ago)
(59% of Total Beds / 182% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 321 (300 one week ago)
(117% of Total Beds / 417% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 35,915 (33,935 one week and 26,935 two weeks ago)
At this time, we continue to advise shelter-at-home
Please note that the number of COVID-19 patients currently in ICU is about 4 times normal available bed capacity. Overall hospitalizations are 1.8 times normal capacity. There is further surge capacity but, if the number of hospitalized people were to double from 1,000 to 2,000, the chances of dying could be as much as 30 times higher.
As of today, with 35,915 active cases, 1 in 23 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2 to 3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread. You must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, your home is very likely infected.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters can help remove droplets that contain airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
*COVID-19 Case reporting may be delayed. Watch average numbers this week for more insight.
Links:
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
November 16, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Greetings everyone. Before we get into the numbers we have two important announcements.
Free Drive-thru Testing for all myWELLNESS Patients with symptoms or exposure who are in need of expedited testing.* We will do our best to test household members. All requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. PCR testing with results in <24 hours. Call or text 532-6069 or 845-5700.
We strongly advise avoiding gathering in-person for Thanksgiving, especially with family members that have COVID-19 risk factors (age 70 or older or preexisting conditions).
As we head nearer the Thanksgiving holiday it is important to understand the actual risk that comes with getting together. The dangerous COVID-19 surge that began in mid-October continues and has not yet begun to improve. Hospitals are still near full capacity and there has been a continued rise in the number of people hospitalized but at a slower pace than in previous weeks. Whereas the 14 days between October 18 and November 2 saw a doubling of the number of people in hospitals (496 to 998), the past two weeks has seen a much slower increase (998 to 1111). This is evidence that the measures we are taking are working. Avoiding indoor spaces like family gatherings, bars, restaurants, schools, churches and gyms is key. Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 1,545 (1,620 previous 7 days)
New Cases Today: 1,633 (997 one week ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 1108 (1034 previous 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 1111 (1028 one week ago)
(63% of Total Beds / 194% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 300 (304 one week ago)
(128% of Total Beds / 390% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 33,935 (26,935 one week and 18,438 two weeks ago)
Please note that the number of COVID-19 patients currently in ICU is about 4 times normal available bed capacity. Overall hospitalizations are 1.9 times normal capacity. There is further surge capacity but, if the number of hospitalized people were to double from 1,000 to 2,000, the chances of dying could be as much as 30 times higher.
As of today, with 33,935 active cases, 1 in 25 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2 to 3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread. You must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, your home is very likely infected.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters will remove airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
*All lab specimens submitted to GynPath or another commercial laboratory. Patients may be billed by GynPath or another laboratory. However, most COVID-19 testing is covered by insurance for those exposed or symptomatic. Testing is not covered for screening purposes. If you receive a bill, please let us know and we will attempt to assist you in resolving it.
Links:
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
November 16, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Greetings everyone. Before we get into the numbers we have two important announcements.
Free Drive-thru Testing for all myWELLNESS Patients with symptoms or exposure who are in need of expedited testing.* We will do our best to test household members. All requests will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. PCR testing with results in <24 hours. Call or text 532-6069 or 845-5700.
We strongly advise avoiding gathering in-person for Thanksgiving, especially with family members that have COVID-19 risk factors (age 70 or older or preexisting conditions).
As we head nearer the Thanksgiving holiday it is important to understand the actual risk that comes with getting together. The dangerous COVID-19 surge that began in mid-October continues and has not yet begun to improve. Hospitals are still near full capacity and there has been a continued rise in the number of people hospitalized but at a slower pace than in previous weeks. Whereas the 14 days between October 18 and November 2 saw a doubling of the number of people in hospitals (496 to 998), the past two weeks has seen a much slower increase (998 to 1111). This is evidence that the measures we are taking are working. Avoiding indoor spaces like family gatherings, bars, restaurants, schools, churches and gyms is key. Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 1,545 (1,620 previous 7 days)
New Cases Today: 1,633 (997 one week ago)
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 1108 (1034 previous 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 1111 (1028 one week ago)
(63% of Total Beds / 194% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 300 (304 one week ago)
(128% of Total Beds / 390% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 33,935 (26,935 one week and 18,438 two weeks ago)
Please note that the number of COVID-19 patients currently in ICU is about 4 times normal available bed capacity. Overall hospitalizations are 1.9 times normal capacity. There is further surge capacity but, if the number of hospitalized people were to double from 1,000 to 2,000, the chances of dying could be as much as 30 times higher.
As of today, with 33,935 active cases, 1 in 25 people in El Paso is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 2 to 3 are infected. If 300,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread. You must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated. If you gather with others at home, your home is very likely infected.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks protect others more than the wearer and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters will remove airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
*All lab specimens submitted to GynPath or another commercial laboratory. Patients may be billed by GynPath or another laboratory. However, most COVID-19 testing is covered by insurance for those exposed or symptomatic. Testing is not covered for screening purposes. If you receive a bill, please let us know and we will attempt to assist you in resolving it.
Links:
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
November 9, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning. The past week has shown us two important things. First, we remain in a dangerous COVID-19 surge with hospitals near full capacity. The average number of patients admitted doubled from 496 to 998 over 14 days between October 18 and November 2. One thing that can be said with certainty is that if we continue to gather in indoor spaces like bars, restaurants, schools, churches and gyms, if people try to go back to normal, our hospitals will be overwhelmed. If the number of hospitalized people were to double from 1,000 to 2,000, the chances of dying will likely be 30 times higher. Getting back to normal during COVID-19 is an illusion.
But there is some good news. The measures we are taking are working. Average daily hospitalizations have stabilized at just over 1,000 since November 2nd. And there may be a silver lining. If infections continue at this rate AND hospitals do not become overwhelmed, there is a chance our region could have a period of relative immunity fairly soon (maybe as early as 8 to 12 weeks from now). Hopefully there will not be a terrible price to pay in the process. Here are the numbers for today.
Average Daily New Cases: 1,620 (past 7 days)
New Cases Today: 997
Average Daily Hospitalized Patients: 1034 (past 7 days)
Hospitalized Patients Today: 1028 (978 one week ago)
(58% of Total Beds / 180% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 304 (273 one week ago)
(130% of Total Beds / 395% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 26,935 (18,438 one week ago)
Please note that the number of COVID-19 patients currently in ICU is about 4 times normal available bed capacity. Overall hospitalizations are 1.8 times normal capacity. There is further surge capacity but, if numbers increase, we will likely exceed it.
As of today, with 26,935 active cases, 1 in 31 of our population is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 3 to 4 are infected. If 250,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread. You must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks only protect others and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters will remove airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
November 2, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Hello everyone. A quick status update. Despite the magnitude of the crisis our numbers continue to increase. The number of hospitalizations remains the primary indicator of concern. Again, although mortality figures are generally more accurate, the number of deaths usually lags 2 to 4 weeks behind the hospitalization rate. So far the number of new deaths has been low but this will not be the case over the next couple of weeks. Here are the current statistics for El Paso.
New Cases: 1,422
Hospitalized Patients: 978 (853 one week ago)
(56% of Total Beds / 171% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 273 (180 one week ago)
(117% of Total Beds / 355% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 18,438
Please note that the number of COVID-19 patients currently in ICU is more than 3.5 times normal available bed capacity. Overall hospitalizations are 1.7 times normal capacity. There continues to be further surge capacity, but as number continue to climb, we remain dangerously close to exceeding it.
As of today, with 18,438 active cases, 1 in 46 of our population is known to be actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 4 to 5 are infected. If 170,000 people or more are currently infected, there continues to be a massive danger of ongoing accelerated spread. You must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks only protect others and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters will remove airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
October 26, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning. As the COVID-19 surge continues, we are watching the number of hospitalizations as the primary measure of our danger. Although mortality figures are generally more accurate, the number of deaths usually lags 2 to 4 weeks behind the hospitalization rate. Here are the current statistics for El Paso.
New Cases: 1,561
Hospitalized Patients: 853
(49% of Total Beds / 149% of Available Beds)
ICU Patients: 180
(77% of Total Beds / 234% of Available Beds)
Known Active Cases: 12,673
Please note that citywide ICU admissions for COVID-19 are more than 2x normal available bed capacity. Hospitalizations are 1.5x normal capacity. While there is further surge capacity, we may be 1 to 2 weeks from exceeding that should this trend continue. Last week the State of Texas sent more that 500 additional medical personnel as well as medical equipment. There are plans to create field hospitals at the Convention Center or Fort Bliss if necessary.
As of today, with 12,673 active cases, 1 in 67 of our population is actively infected. Again, estimates are that up to 10x this number may be infected, making it possible that up to 1 in 7 are infected. If 100,000 people or more are currently infected, there is a massive danger of further accelerated spread. While there is little we can do to control the behavior of others, we must do our part to avoid contributing to the problem. Most importantly, for your own safety, you must avoid becoming infected while hospitals are full. If you become ill enough to require oxygen, there may not be any.
To reiterate, the primary risk of exposure is being indoors with others. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. At this time all indoor public spaces should be assumed to be contaminated.
Similarly, anyone you come in contact with at this time should be considered contagious. We urge you to stay home and avoid having anyone visit you in person if possible. If you do have to go out or if someone has to visit, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks only protect others and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). Another helpful measure is having a home or office HEPA filter (see the link below). These filters will remove airborne COVID-19 particles and offer another layer of protection. If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Medical grade HEPA filter: (https://medifyair.com)
October 22, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Good morning. We are writing this morning to advise of a record surge in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations. What was true at the time of our last newsletter is doubly so today.
New Cases: 1,161
Hospitalized Patients: 571
ICU Patients: 159
Known Active Cases: 9,406
With 9,406 active cases, 1 in 89 of our population is actively infected. Estimates are that up to 10x that number may be infected and not know it. Georgia Tech has produced an interactive map developed by their scientists in coordination with Stanford University (https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu). This tool shows that in El Paso there is a 63% chance of being exposed to someone who is infected if you are in a group of 10 people and a 92% chance in a group of 25. Because of this, the risk of exposure in any indoor public space is far too high. Remember, this virus is airborne and can linger for 6 hours in the air. Nearly any indoor public space will surpass 10 people in a 6 hour period.
As always, the most critical aspect of our situation is hospital capacity. Under normal circumstances El Paso has about 80 free ICU beds on any given day. Today, with 159 ICU patients, we are far above this number. In addition, regular hospital beds are also nearly full. Remember that oxygen is the most life saving treatment we have for COVID-19, and we are too near the point where oxygen will be unavailable. Because of this it is critical to avoid becoming infected—we have to slow the rate transmission.
We urge you to stay home if you are able. If you do have to go out, be sure to wear an N95 or KN95 mask (click the link below for an example). Remember, regular masks only protect others and only work if everyone wears them (and keeps them on). If you haven’t, please consider ordering a home COVID-19 test kit as well (see link below). As always, notify us immediately if you are exposed or have symptoms.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
Links:
Home COVID-19 test kits: (https://www.pixel.labcorp.com)
Georgia Tech interactive map: (https://covid19risk.biosci.gatech.edu).
October 14, 2020
COVID-19 Alert
Please be aware that the number of people currently hospitalized in El Paso due to COVID-19 at the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. The previous peak on July 23rd was 317. Today we have 373. There are 103 patients in ICU. Our typical citywide ICU bed availability is around 77 beds. While there is overflow capacity, we are currently over 100% of normal ICU capacity across El Paso. Remember, this means if a person has a serious illness, there is currently not an ICU bed to take care of them.
For these reasons, please take the following precautions:
Order a home COVID-19 test kit at: www.pixel.labcorp.com (there should be no cost)—keep this test kit on hand and test if exposed or symptomatic
Stock up on necessities
Do not gather indoors with other people
Wear an N95 mask if you go out
Consider using a medical grade HEPA air filter if you are around others at home (Medify MA-15 is a good example)
We are concerned there will be long lines for COVID-19 testing (people were waiting 7 hours in the car in July and up to 14 days for results). The current danger is much worse than at any previous time. Please do not let your guard down. Many clusters of cases have been linked to eating indoors at restaurants. We strongly recommend you avoid any indoor gatherings with people you do not know and trust to be behaving safely. If you do not have an N95 mask, please remember that COVID-19 can remain airborne for up to 6 hours and that a regular mask does not protect the wearer. A home HEPA filter can remove viruses from the air and are fairly inexpensive.
If you have symptoms or are exposed to someone with COVID-19, please contact us immediately.
Stay safe.
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
August 28, 2020
Vaccinations
As summer draws near its close, we hope this newsletter finds you well. As Fall brings welcome relief from what has been a very hot summer, there are some things we wanted to make sure you are aware of.
One of our priorities is making sure everyone gets the influenza vaccine as early as possible. In years past, some experts have recommended waiting until flu season peaks in October or November. We feel there is a chance increased demand could make getting the flu vaccine difficult this year. So please get it as early as possible. (We will not receive our vaccines in the office until November 2nd—if possible, please do not wait to get it in our office).
If you are 65 or older, please request the “high dose” vaccine. If you have problems with this, let us know and we will speak to the pharmacy.
A second important issue is the possible interaction between “statins” and the influenza vaccine. Some data has shown taking a statin like atorvastatin (Lipitor), rosuvastatin (Crestor), pravastatin, etc. might reduce the production of antibodies when people receive the flu vaccine. There has not been any identified increase in flu or other types of infections in people taking statins (so please do not fear taking them—they are life saving). Due to this, we recommend stopping your statin for one week before and one week after getting your flu vaccine.
The third important point deals with pneumonia vaccination. Here it gets a bit complicated. If you are 65 or older or an adult between 19 to 64 years with a chronic condition (like chronic heart, lung, or liver disease, diabetes mellitus, smoking, alcohol use disorder), it is recommended for you to to undergo vaccination with the original older Pneumovax (V23). For adults with higher risk conditions (like immunocompromise, post-splenectomy, cerebrospinal fluid leak, cochlear implant, or history of invasive pneumococcal disease—including pneumonia), the Prevnar (V13) is also recommended. This is in addition to the Pneumovax (V23). Whether both Prevnar (V13) and Pneumovax (V23) are indicated and whether revaccination every 5 years is indicated vary based on patient age and risk status. When both Prevnar (V13) and Pneumovax (V23) are indicated, the Prevnar (V13) should generally be given before Pneumovax (V23). If you are a higher risk patient who received either pneumonia vaccine before age 65, you should receive booster vaccinations when you turn 65 following the above guidelines.
We have had a lot of questions about the shingles vaccine. While it is fine to get the new shingles vaccine with the flu vaccine, it interacts with the pneumonia vaccine. Our priority would be to get flu and pneumonia vaccinations and defer the shingles vaccine to a later time. But it is possible to do all three if timed correctly.
Wishing you all safety and good health,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
July 30, 2020
Silver Bullets
Hello everyone. We hope you are doing as well as can be expected in these trying times. These past few weeks have been a tumultuous period and we wanted to spend some time trying to make sense of some important issues. One of the hardest to understand is which measures are the most effective against COVID-19.
We have multiple questions almost everyday about various treatments and preventive measures. A few days ago we had a question about a so-called “silver bullet” for COVID-19. A fairly prominent doctor in the Dallas area gave an interview where he claimed treatment with an inhaled steroid was the main reason other countries have had so few deaths. He especially mentioned Taiwan where they have had only 7 deaths (with a population of 23.8 million). Was his claim that treatment with inhaled steroid administered early in COVID-19 infections can eliminate nearly all serious illness and death true? Can any treatment do that?
It turns out that there are two main lines of defense against pandemics. One is treatment. The other is prevention. Treatment seeks to reduce the consequences of infections once they occur. Prevention, to stop them from occurring in the first place.
Going back to Taiwan as our example. If treatment was the solution, there should be a fairly large number of cases but the cases should be mild and there will be fewer deaths. If prevention was the explanation, there will be few cases and thereby few deaths.
Taiwan population: 23.8 million
Taiwan COVID-19 cases: 467
Taiwan COVID-19 deaths: 7
That is not a typo. How is this possible? Is it treatment or prevention? Unequivocally the answer is prevention. Taiwan (and all industrialized countries) has a scientifically run program to identify and manage contagious diseases. Testing is performed and each infected person is then placed in quarantine and all their contacts traced, tested and quarantined. The process repeats until there are no more infections down that path of investigation. This requires adequate testing and a team of trained public health professionals.
The claim that treatment is the “silver bullet” and the secret to Taiwan’s success ignores that a country of 23 million has only 467 total cases. Since treatment does not prevent COVID-19, this is blatantly untrue.
The biggest problem and the reason we are specifically writing after watching this interview is the danger this sort of thing puts us all in. We trust experts to tell the truth but these days there is too much information circulating that is not based on science. This distracts us from the facts and the real task at hand which is to stop people from dying.
As this situation has unfolded, we have asked ourselves “how could this happen?” “Aren’t we the richest nation on earth?” Taiwan has a population 7.5% the size of the US but 0.0045% of US deaths (7 vs 154,000). There are many other examples including South Korea, New Zealand, Japan, Germany, Portugal and virtually every other industrialized country.
So what is the difference? Most people we speak with say things like “well, we are different, we are more free than other countries”. Some claim it is one group or another not wearing masks. While these are contributing factors, the single biggest tool we humans have is the process of testing, quarantining and contact tracing. Some have said that Americans will not tolerate such invasive practices. Some have said that other countries are more willing to submit to more intrusive government. But, this neglects the tradition of quarantine that goes back to the Middle Ages and is current US policy and law. Consider tuberculosis. If you have TB in America, you will be quarantined and your contacts traced, you will wear a mask, and you will be forced to take treatment even though there is a fairly high toxicity associated with it. You can be arrested and detained for breaking these rules. Law makers as well as voters of past generations have agreed that the greater good can outweigh the wants and needs of individuals when the stakes are high.
This is the first time in either Dr. Escandon or Dr. Payne’s careers that we have been asked for treatments based on the recommendations of politicians. We both realize that the current situation has worsened the division between political factions. Please know we both come from conservative backgrounds. However, our obligation is to provide evidence-based treatment for COVID-19 or any other ailment. Where we would never weigh political opinion in the management of chest pain, we will also do our best to avoid it here. As always, our duty is to you our patients.
Wishing you all safety and good health,
CG Escandon, MD
Douglas Payne, MD
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00030715.htm
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eDSDdwN2Xcg&feature=youtu.be
https://www.cdc.gov/quarantine/historyquarantine.html
July 15, 2020
Viruses vs Bacteria
Greetings from this strange new reality. We hope all of you are weathering the COVID-19 storm as well as possible. We know some of you have faced COVID firsthand. Fortunately, despite a few close calls, none of our patients have had a bad outcome so far. Over the past few months, we have spoken to nearly all our patients and had the chance to convey a lot of this information directly. However, the landscape is constantly changing and we wanted to take this opportunity to write some key information.
What is COVID-19? It is amazing with all the information swirling around that a basic discussion of what this thing is has been somewhat neglected. Let’s start with what germs are.
There are two main kinds of “germs”.
Bacteria = single cell living germs like Strep, Cholera and Staph
Viruses = non-living protein based germs like colds, flu and COVID-19
That’s right, viruses are not alive. But they behave like living things in that they reproduce and obey natural selection. To reproduce they use special keys on their surfaces to unlock tiny doors on our cells. Once they let themselves in, they make their way to the copy machines in our cells. We use these copy machines to make proteins from recipes we keep written in our DNA (which is basically nature’s recipe book). Since viruses are made of protein, they insert themselves into our copy machines and make many many copies. These copies, being active viruses themselves, use their own keys to repeat the process in more of your cells. After a couple of days, there can be millions and millions of viruses in your body.
Our immune systems are designed to fight off invaders. However, new viruses like COVID-19 have never been seen by human immune systems, leaving us defenseless. Viruses are also masters of disguise. Even though they are not alive, viruses obey natural selection and, once recognized by the immune system, can mutate. This changes some key feature on the virus that allows it to evade detection by our immune system.
This process of mutation is fascinating. As our immune system is focused on killing a virus, that same virus continues to make copies of itself. As that process continues, every say one-in-a-million copies, has an error. In other words, the copy machine misreads the recipe the virus put in. Think of it as baking a cake but, instead of using vanilla you accidentally use soy sauce. The person eating the cake might not think of it as cake at all. The same goes for the one-in-a-million virus. That lucky error makes the virus unrecognizable by our immune system. As all the regular old virus is taken care of by our immune systems, the lucky mutated virus is unscathed. It then goes on to make copies thereby becoming a new-and-improved version that can infect others. So far there are more than 30 identified strains of COVID-19.
One other note on viruses. Our immune systems are designed to fight off invaders. But, what is frequently confusing is that we are designed primarily to fight off bacteria. Viruses, being mere collections of protein molecules (and not being alive) can often be harmless. In fact, it is our immune systems’ reaction to COVID-19 that can often cause the most harm. This manifests as inflammation in the lungs, heart and blood vessels. This is why one of the medications that has shown benefit so far (dexamethasone) is an immunosuppressant drug.
We will be in touch with another update in the next few days. If you like this information or have a particular topic you want to learn more about, please let us know. You can email or text. You can also like us on social media and comment there.
Wishing you excellent health,
Douglas Payne, MD
CG Escandon, MD
References:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.04.14.20060160v1
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780123751584000031
Summer-Fall 2020 Predictions
The Good:
March 27th, 2020 — 30 confirmed cases with 120 presumed cases
Instead of 6 day doubling time, El Paso has been closer to 30 days
Instead of 279,786 confirmed cases on June 19th, we had 4,340
Hospitals have not been overwhelmed
Our case fatality rate is very low
Our unprecedented quarantine / safety efforts have flattened our curve
The mortality rate is up to 30x higher if hospitals are full — we have avoided this saving many lives
The Bad:
Quarantine fatigue has set in and it will will be difficult to maintain this huge quarantine effort = we will have trouble continuing to flatten the curve
There have been about 1,000 active cases and 100 active hospitalizations daily since May 19th
COVID-19 is has not gone away
It is definitely more dangerous now than it was March 13th when we had one known case
We run the risk of saturating hospital capacity
June 26th, 2020 — Houston ICU’s exceeded 100% normal capacity
The Reality:
As of June, 2020 the US is the worst county on Earth for COVID-19 with 1/4 of cases and deaths (we account for 4.25% of world population)
US: Population 328 Million — 122,000 Deaths
South Korea: Population 52 Million — 280 Deaths
New Zealand: Population 4.8 Million — 22 Deaths
The US is the wealthiest country on Earth
Until now the US has been the world leader in public health science
Experts conclude more than 90% of deaths could have been prevented by earlier action
It is now nearly impossible to contact trace and quarantine millions of cases
El Paso Specific
El Paso Hospitalizations approximately 1/4 of bed capacity as of July 2020
Mortality is 20 to 30x higher if sick patients do not have hospital access
Flattening the curve does prevent hospital overload—This remains the critical issue for communities
2300 (approximate) current El Paso hospital beds
30% empty beds (approximate) = 690 open beds
15% hospitalization rate (5% of these are ICU)
April 1, 2020
So far our confirmed case doubling time has been between 3 and 6 days. Worldwide the average is near 6 days. It is difficult to interpret this as our number of available tests has begun to rise and we are detecting more cases. Suffice to say there is a tangible increase in documented cases that fits with global figures.
The closure of schools was a vital move here and across the country. Our local leadership has correctly attempted to have people stay home. However, on March 27th El Paso was graded “F” for social distancing (4% decrease from normal). This improved to “C” March 30th (20-30% decrease). As of April 2nd the grade was still C. This has to improve.
Behavior Changes as of 3/29/20
https://www.google.com/covid19/mobility/
Couple this with Mexican President Obrador’s March 23 news conference in which he said “If you have the means to do it, continue taking your family out to restaurants and diners. That’s what will strengthen the economy.” While much of the risk El Paso faces will come from within, the magnitude of disease in and around Ciudad Juarez will almost certainly eclipse it.
References:
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/cases-updates/cases-in-us.html
https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/el-paso-rated-f-in-social-distancing/
https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/26/mexico-mexicans-need-accurate-covid-19-information#
https://elpasoheraldpost.com/el-paso-area-coronavirus-updates/
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2004973
https://www.unacast.com/covid19/social-distancing-scoreboard
https://www.google.com/covid19/mobility/
March 27, 2020
Here are some projections for El Paso:
Assumptions:
30 current confirmed cases (3/27/2020) with 120 presumed current cases (most epidemiologists agree on this presumption)
6 day doubling time (most epidemiologists agree on this as well)
Between 3,127 and 12,497 cases by May 4, 2020 (based on actual vs presumed current cases doubling every 6 days)
15% hospitalization rate (5% of these are ICU)
Between 469 and 1,877 hospitalizations by May 4th (154 to 618 ICU)
2300 (approximate) current El Paso hospital beds
30% empty beds = 690 open beds
469 to 1877 hospitalized patients with 690 open beds
Hospital capacity exceeded around May 4th
Up to 2x this number every 6 days
May 11: 6,785 to 27,118 infected — 1,017 to 4,067 require hospitalization
May 18: 14,724 to 58,846 infected — 2,208 to 8,781 require hospitalization
May 25: 31,951 to 127,696 infected — 4,792 to 19,154 require hospitalization
June 22: Low estimate 708,475 total cases — 106,271 require hospitalization
At
At this doubling rate infection of the entire population of El Paso could occur by June or July, 2020 unless drastic measures are undertaken (slow the 6 day doubling time).*
As we feared from the Dallas / CDC estimates, hospital overload in El Paso is very likely to occur by end of April or early May. It is critical we stay home to slow the doubling time.
References:
https://www.statnews.com/2020/03/10/simple-math-alarming-answers-covid-19/
https://www.ktsm.com/local/el-paso-news/number-of-covid-19-cases-in-el-paso-up-to-30/
*These numbers are total cases over time. While this math is not exactly accurate (because as the number of cases increase, people recover or die, and not everyone is sick at the same time), it gives an estimate of disease burden.
World Mortality if 60% Become Infected
Approximately 50,000,000 Deaths
March 22, 2020
Urgent Call to Action!
This Could Happen 3 Weeks from Today
Please Watch The Dallas County Shelter-In-Place Order News Conference (Link Below)
Mortality prediction for Texas alone:
No Action = 583,000 Deaths in Texas (Hospital overload begins April 12, 2020)
Social Distancing = 430,000 Deaths in Texas (Hospital overload begins April 28, 2020)
Shelter-in-place = 5,000 Deaths in Texas (No hospital overload)
This requires sheltering-in-place for 3 months.
The time to act is now. There will be no chance to act once exponential growth of COVID 19 accelerates in your city.
Reference:
https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/coronavirus/dallas-county-to-give-update-on-covid-19-restrictions/2336502/
March 20, 2020
In the past seven days COVID 19 deaths more than doubled worldwide to over 10,000.
All of California and New York State are now under shelter-at-home orders (1). Personal contact without a known contact is now the most common way to become infected in the U.S. (2).
It is imperative to stay at home if you can. Waiting to implement this until COVID 19 comes to your area in large numbers misses the critical chance to prevent it. In South Korea they limited the first 30 cases well. Patient #31, not knowing they were ill, did not adhere to social distancing. This one person caused 60% of South Korea’s cases (3).
If you cannot stay home, try to limit the number of people you are around and especially avoid contact with high risk individuals. Many people are helping the elderly and others at risk by delivering food and supplies. Please exercise extreme caution in conveying goods. All packages should be wiped down with an appropriate antiseptic and there should be no physical contact (with at least six feet of distance).
References
https://www.wsj.com/articles/coronavirus-deaths-surpass-10-000-globally-11584698319?mod=hp_lead_pos1
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html
https://graphics.reuters.com/CHINA-HEALTH-SOUTHKOREA-CLUSTERS/0100B5G33SB/index.html
March 17, 2020
We continue to recommend “shelter-at-home”. This was ordered in six counties around San Francisco yesterday. The reason for this is that US cases have increased from about 2500 Friday March 13 to over 5600 cases today March 17. This suggests a doubling time of 4 days for confirmed cases. Following exponential growth 32 days from now we could have 1,400,000 cases in the US. Waiting another 32 days we could have hundreds of millions of cases.
We continue to advise staying home even if you are sick. The odds are that it is just a cold. However, in the next few weeks these odds will likely change.
If you have the risk factors for COVID 19 (travel to high risk area, known contact with a person who has it, etc.), you should be tested. Unfortunately, the government has not set up testing facilities in most areas. (We currently have 8 test vials and were told by Clinical Pathology Laboratories they have 200 for the whole city). Government needs to act and they are already too late in doing so. In other countries there are hazmat facilities where trained professionals can test people with lower chance of spreading the infection.
You should not be tested for COVID 19 in a clinic (and labs will not collect specimens from you even if you have an order) because they are not set up to stop the spread of infection and, if you have it, you will infect them. If a doctor gets exposed, they will be out of commission for 14 days and cannot take care of other patients. Worse, if the doctor (or other personnel in a clinic) are exposed and do not feel ill, they could infect hundreds of other high risk people.
El Paso City Health Department may offer testing if you meet the criteria mentioned above (915-212-0200). You can also be tested in an emergency room or hospital--but do not go there unless you cannot breathe or feel seriously ill. You risk exposing them or yourself and this risk is not warranted unless you are seriously ill.
March 13, 2020
To all our wonderful patients,
We hope this newsletter finds you well during this time of uncertainty. There is a huge amount of information out there and we want to distill things down for you as much as possible.
Coronavirus
First let us assure you that the health and welfare of our patients, their families and our staff members is our most important goal during this difficult time. With this in mind: Starting Friday March 13, 2020, we will be operating in “quarantine” mode. This means all routine visits will be rescheduled until a safer time. Because Coronavirus is undetectable for 2 to 7 days after a person is infected and, is very dangerous to people 70 and older, coming to the office could be deadly. We ask you not come in unless absolutely necessary (especially if you are having symptoms of a respiratory infection). We will make free unlimited video appointments available. As always, you can call, text or email Dr. Payne and Dr. Escandon 24/7.
What you need to know
If you have fever, cough, body aches or fatigue, stay home if possible—do not go to work, out in public, travel or seek healthcare.
If you have trouble breathing or other more severe symptoms, go to the hospital—there is no treatment unless you have trouble breathing.
We are in a quarantine situation—the only way to deal with Coronavirus is to slow its spread.
There is a high likelihood you will be infected.
Seeking healthcare in person will only infect others and will not change the course of the infection—unless you have trouble breathing or more severe symptoms.
If a healthcare provider is exposed, that provider will be quarantined for 14 days and be unable to care for other patients.
If we do not collectively act now to slow the spread of the virus, there will not be enough hospital beds and ventilators to treat the seriously ill.
An infected person will not feel ill for 2 to 7 days and could infect scores of others.
Everyone needs to avoid contact with others as much as possible and especially with persons age 70 and above.
Credible public health experts are warning this virus will infect most of the world (60 to 75% of the population or more). Most people will not become critically ill. If you are under 60, there is very little risk. But, if you are over 60, the risk climbs and becomes very dangerous over age 70.
“We anticipate illness and mortality 10 times a severe flu season”
In El Paso (and much of the United States) hospitals are at or near 100% capacity for most of the colder months. There is very little extra capacity built into our healthcare system. This means that today, without Coronavirus, there are few empty hospital beds and not enough extra doctors and nurses. If hundreds of additional patients become ill enough to require oxygen support and ventilators, there will simply not be enough capacity.
“Little Capacity for Crisis”
This is why it is critical to slow the transmission of Coronavirus as much as possible. Experts think we are only a few days behind Italy in terms of the spread of the infection. In wealthy northern Italy, with a highly regarded healthcare system, they are experiencing this very situation. In some cases, doctors are having to choose which patients get life support and which die. I realize this is a strong statement and, I hope this will not be true here, but we must do everything in our power in case it is.
What are the Risks?
AGE DEATH RATE (all cases)
80+ years old 14.8%
70-79 years old 8.0%
60-69 years old 3.6%
50-59 years old 1.3%
40-49 years old 0.4%
30-39 years old 0.2%
20-29 years old 0.2%
10-19 years old 0.2%
0-9 years old no fatalities
Overall 2.3% mortality among all confirmed cases.
This may be an overestimate since many infected people have not sought healthcare BUT this number comes from regions where there was widespread testing.
Risk Due to Illness
· Coronary disease or heart failure = 10.5%
· Diabetes = 7%
· Asthma or COPD = 6%
· Hypertension = 6%
· Active cancer = 6%
· Smoking and Obesity are also significant risk factors (but more difficult to be exact)
These are the symptoms at the onset of the illness
Fever in 77%-98% of patients
Cough in 46%–82% of patients
Body aches or fatigue in 11%–52% of patients
Shortness of breath in 3%-31% of patients
Symptoms begin an average of 4 days after exposure (2-7 day range).
What to do if you are at higher risk of getting very sick from COVID-19:
Stock up on supplies (everything you might need to stay mostly home for at least 2 weeks)
Take everyday precautions to keep space between yourself and others.
Try not to go out in public.
If you must you go out in public, keep away from others who are sick, limit close contact and wash your hands often.
Avoid crowds as much as possible.
Avoid cruise travel and non-essential air travel.
Stay home as much as possible to further reduce your risk of being exposed.
About Testing:
We do not recommend being tested at this time unless you are short of breath or seriously ill, in which case testing will be done at the hospital. As of the time of this writing, the United States is not doing widespread screening for COVID-19. We hope this will change so check with the CDC website and local health department often. We will let you know as soon as we do if this becomes available. Again, visiting a clinic or lab will spread the virus and will not help treat your symptoms.
Summary:
This event is unprecedented in our lifetimes and we are deeply concerned for your safety and the safety of people around the world. We will continue to update you as new developments occur. Please feel free to reach out to us if you have questions or concerns. Remember slowing the spread may reduce the chances of dying by as much as 20-fold. So try to stay home as much as you can.
Wishing you safety and health,
Douglas Payne, MD
Georgina Escandon, MD