WISE COUNTY, Texas — Throughout the pandemic, Valerie Alvaredo, a Registered Nurse at Wise Health System in Decatur, has treated one sick COVID-19 patient after the next.
The Fort Worth woman works at the only hospital in rural Wise County.
For Alvaredo, the last couple of weeks at the hospital have hit too close to home. Her mother, Diana Chester, developed a severe COVID-19 illness and ended up at the hospital where her daughter works.
“I always ask myself, ‘Why? Why? Why did I go through this? Why me?’” Chester said.
Chester, who is unvaccinated, ended up fighting for her life in an intensive care unit on a ventilator for eight days. While Alvaredo says she couldn’t legally care for her mother at the hospital, she was able to make the decision to intubate her during her shift.
“For me, the hardest part was putting her on a ventilator and worrying that that was gonna be the last time I got to speak with my mother,” Alvaredo said.
The COVID-19 surge fueled by the Delta variant is taking a toll on hospitals in rural areas across Texas and throughout the U.S.
Jason Wren, President and CEO of Wise Health System said the current surge is happening faster than any previous one.
“This surge has been more challenging for the hospital industry than the previous one,” said Wren.
Wren said the challenge is two-fold: they’re up against a capacity problem and a staffing problem.
On Thursday, there were 38 COVID-19 patients at Wise Health System in Decatur. Wren said it’s more than double the amount from last August when the hospital peaked at less than 15 admitted COVID-19 patients on any given day.
Thursday morning, Wren said there were only two staffed adult ICU beds available in all of Wise County. Later in the afternoon, Stephen Love, President and CEO of Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council said there was one staffed adult ICU bed in Wise County.
“People need to remember that regardless of your views of COVID and where you stand on those issues, just remember that this impacts everybody who needs care… COVID or non-COVID,” said Wren.
The current surge prompted the hospital to put up tents outside of the hospital and open a COVID-19 infusion center. It’s an effort to provide COVID-19 patients early care through the use of monoclonal antibody treatments. The center will be for COVID-19 patients who have a physician order, walk-ups are not allowed. Monoclonal antibody treatments are aimed at preventing severe illness and hospitalization.
According to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, only 36% of Wise County’s population 12 and older is fully vaccinated. Of the county's population over 12 years old, 42% have received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The rise in COVID-19 cases is affecting schools. Wednesday, Boyd Independent School District in Wise County announced Boyd Elementary School was shutting down for the rest of the week to “allow our custodial staff time to deep clean and time for our staff and students to be away from each other in an effort to mitigate the spread.”
A spokesperson for Boyd ISD said, “At this point, Boyd Elementary School staffing and attendance do not support the ratios we need to run a safe and supported instructional program."
Thursday, Chester was still recovering in the hospital’s rehab center. She was in a wheelchair and said she’s trying to learn to walk again. The medical tape placed on the ventilator left her scarred.
Chester said the entire experience is one of the hardest things she and her daughter have ever lived through.
“Do I ever want to go through it again? God, no,” she said as she cried. “It’s a horrible experience, it’s evil.”
Even after the hospitalization, Chester still won’t get the COVID-19 vaccine due to religious reasons.
Over and over again, she thanked God for being alive.