ARLINGTON, Texas — Over the last few weeks, COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations have been increasing in parts of North Texas. As of Saturday, Tarrant County health officials reported 966 newly confirmed cases and one additional death.
Dr. Kishor Gangani with Apogee Physicians works at Texas Health Arlington Memorial Hospital. He's seen the increase in COVID patients there.
"Three weeks ago on one of the weekends, we ended up admitting around 20 COVID patients," he said.
Gangani said the hospital is admitting a handful of COVID patients daily, and the majority of patients hospitalized for COVID-19 are not vaccinated.
Gangani asked a patient last week if he received the vaccine.
"He said, 'No. I just don't believe in vaccines.' That guy didn't make it. I felt so bad," Gangani said. He has spent almost every day at the hospital since the pandemic started.
He urges people to get the vaccine. While it doesn't necessarily prevent the coronavirus, he said it does lessen symptoms dramatically and can prevent hospitalizations and death.
"Hospitalization is going up. Mortality is slowly going up. So before it becomes a disaster, we should all be careful," he said. "I don't think there is a way around it."