ODESSA, Texas — COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations are declining in West Texas. As of Monday, Medical Center Hospital is reporting 5 people hospitalized with the virus and Midland Memorial Hospital is reporting only 3.
Dr. Rohith Saravanan, Chief Medical Officer at Odessa Regional Medical Center, said the hospitalizations are a good indicator of where we stand in the community because it shows where our health resources are.
"Locally we have been labeled as a low-risk community for several weeks now," said Saravanan. "We have seen the hospitalization rate go down. Right now, the people in the hospital are the long-term COVID patients who are still recovering from their injury to the lungs."
Saravanan said that even though our area's COVID-19 census seems to reflect the good side of things, it is still important to remain vigilant.
"We live in a very global society nowadays, we can get on a plane and get to the other side of the world in less than a day, but so can COVID," said Saravanan. "That is why we need to be careful when we see surges in other parts of the world because it is possible that those cases could come over to the U.S."
Saravanan told NewsWest 9 that the current situation is different than two years ago, but there are still many unanswered questions.
"I'm happy now that we are at a low point, but I am uncertain of whether or not new variants will show up," said Saravanan. "I'm uncertain of whether or not those variants will cause surges and I am uncertain if we will need more boosters shots."
Local doctors continue to encourage people to get vaccinated with the first two doses of the vaccine and the booster shot. They also encourage people to continue to do their research about the virus itself.
"If you are not vaccinated, get vaccinated because that is something will definitely protect you from the severe disease," said Saravanan. "Second, stay informed and keep up with what is going on in other places because that will affect you eventually."