ODESSA, Texas — As more people continue to test positive for COVID-19 in our area, doctors are seeing an increase in hospitalizations as the days go by.
At the moment there are 57 patients with the virus at MCH. In Midland, it's a very similar situation with 61 patients in the hospital.
NewsWest 9 talked to a local doctor who describes the recent surge in cases as "different."
"The difference we are seeing in this surge is that the older, more high risked population, is vaccinated," said Dr. Rohith Saravanan, Chief Medical officer for Odessa Regional Medical Center. "Therefore we are seeing the younger population be hospitalized. We are seeing more of the younger population require that intense level of care."
Dr. Saravanan says that he has heard many stories of people in the hospital wishing they were vaccinated.
"'I am so sorry that I did not get vaccinated. Sorry for myself that I did not get vaccinated when I could have,'" Dr. Rohith Saravanan said as he described the experience of patients. "Their request to the people out there is please go get vaccinated. It's not just one or two stories, it's a bunch of people that are in the hospital that will give you that."
Dr. Saravanan tells NewsWest 9 that the community needs to think of the people in the frontlines when they make the decision on getting the vaccine.
"The biggest sentiment that I hear from our team that cares for COVID patients is 'Oh no.... not again,'" said Dr. Rohith Saravanan. "They have really been burnt out taking care of these very very sick patients in the last two surges."