DALLAS — Across the board, hospitals are seeing more COVID-19 patients being hospitalized. Local doctors said they’re seeing more younger patients, and those patients are unvaccinated.
“I’m concerned about the new virus (variant),” said Oak Cliff resident Gregory Streep.
With the Delta variant making headlines day after day, Streep said he is doing everything in his power to stay safe. He got vaccinated months ago, but many around him are still not vaccinated.
“It alarms me,” Cliff said.
Local doctors said they are seeing more hospitalizations among younger people.
“Those patients who we think are the most healthiest, and strongest, and they’re unvaccinated. That’s the thing,” said Dr. Ashley Meusa, the associate medical director from Foremost Health Center.
Health officials said they are doing whatever they can to get the unvaccinated population feel comfortable. They’re handing out goody bags while letting people know it’s OK to get vaccinated.
“Our big push is to get young people vaccinated,” Meusa said.
Currently, our area is seeing as many hospitalizations right now as we saw the first week of March, when the vaccines weren’t available to most Texans.
The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council told us in Dallas County, there are 336 patients hospitalized with COVID-19. In Tarrant County, there are 401. In Collin County, there are 162 hospitalized, and in Denton County, there are 53 hospitalized.
“Unfortunately, we saw it go from the 900 to the thousands,” said Steve Love, with the hospital council.
What’s alarming for Love is the patients that are hospitalized are mostly younger than 65.
“I talk to the doctors, and they’re treating 20-year-olds, 30-years-olds, 50-year olds,” Love explained.
He said he wants to remind everyone that no one is invisible to the virus.
A good reminder from health officials: the vaccine is free. No IDs are required, either. Just sign up, and get vaccinated.