As caseloads soar and more Southeast Texans are hospitalized with coronavirus-related health problems, Jefferson County’s top elected official on Tuesday repeated an old message with a new sense of urgency.
Wear a mask. Seriously.
“If you’re not wearing a mask, you don’t get served,” County Judge Jeff Branick said, urging a new vigilance to enforce the mask mandate in county buildings.
As commissioners discussed possible tweaks to their coronavirus policies for its public buildings, Branick noted that hospitalizations related to the virus on Monday were double what they’d been the previous day.
COVID-19-patients represented 24% of total hospitalizations, according to a report by Dr. Praphul Joshi, Lamar University professor and director of its Master of Public Health program.
And on Tuesday, the seven-day rolling average number of cases confirmed across the county rose to 83 — up from 71 the day before. This time last week, the daily average was just 55.
Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames offered by way of anecdote the story of a friend who recently was hospitalized. He had to wait hours before a room came available.
“It’s really been a strain on the nurses and doctors,” Ames said.
The mayor said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting that local hospitals have assured her that they have plans in place to open new beds if necessary.
But manpower is a concern.
With one nurse needed for each ICU patient or every five patients in general beds, it’s unclear how many beds can be added before there simply are not enough professionals to treat patients.
At the same time, Ames said, so many people are infected that contact tracing has become increasingly difficult. When it’s that challenging to pinpoint the point where someone became infected, she explained, public health officials can’t properly warn people who need to quarantine and get tested.
Protecting county employees and residents with business in county buildings was on the agenda at Tuesday’s meeting of the Jefferson County Commissioners Court. Branick and the commissioners discussed how to make their coronavirus plan more effective.
The body is expected next week to formally vote on ending temperature checks as the service costs $40,000 per month and that method has proven ineffective at catching cases of COVID-19 and produces wildly varying temperatures.
But with that, the commissioners plan to double down on the wearing of masks inside the main courthouse and auxiliary buildings.
Ames echoed the public health messages that have swept the nation as the latest spike reaches frightening levels.
“The big message (is) don’t travel for the holidays,” the mayor said. “Stay home. Wear your mask, and wash your hands.”
kaitlin.bain@beaumontenterprise.com
twitter.com/KaitlinBain
