TULSA, Okla. — What started as a call for cohesion against the spread of the Coronavirus has now turned into a cry for help.
Dr. Julie Watson with INTEGRIS Health told 2 Works for You, "we need to curve the trend now, to help our healthcare workers and ourselves."
As daily COVID cases continue to surge, Oklahoma's hospitals are running out of time, space, and resources.
“We really, truly need Oklahoma to do their part, we truly need Oklahomans to do their part," Dr. Watson said.
She said as many as 8,000 Oklahomans could be infected with the virus, daily, by New Years. She estimates about 3,500 could be hospitalized.
Dr. Watson said, “we are grappling with back-breaking work right now.”
With hospitals closing in on max capacity, makeshift clinics and field hospitals are in the near-future. Dr. Watson said choose a mask and social distance so doctors don't have to choose which patients to save.
“Having to choose between someone who’s having a heart attack, someone who needs to have a breathing tube put in for COVID, and someone who came from a car accident. That is not an exaggeration,” Dr. Watson said.
Dr. Watson told 2 Works for You there is some hope on the horizon, once the FDA approves a vaccine for COVID-19 they'll be able to administer it within 24-hours.
She said that could be as soon as a couple of months away.
Healthcare workers and high-risk COVID-19 patients will be some of the first to receive the vaccine. Dr. Watson said once that happens, she hopes it'll free up hospitals across the state.
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