COVID numbers up in Ellis Co.

ELLIS COUNTY – Ellis County’s COVID numbers are in a dire situation, and Ellis County Judge Todd Little and his staff don’t bother to return phone calls.

At press time, ECP had left Judge Little two messages and a text – and his staff at least two plus messages and received a text response, “Judge Little is out of the office and can’t provide a comment. Sorry I didn’t see this until today.”

The County did send out a press release last week headed, “Local health authority urges continued COVID precautions amidst Delta.”

At the Ellis County website it reads, “The hospital MedSurg plan has been initiated to accommodate for additional patient care.”

The Ellis County total bed count is 235, with 211 beds occupied. The ICU bed count is 36 with 36 occupied – and 30 of those with COVID. Of all COVID patients, 30 are in the ICU and 100 in MedSurg.

Dr. Leigh Nordstrom, Ellis County’s Local Health Authority, is “urging residents to continue heightened health practices amidst the surge of the Delta variant, including social distancing, wearing face coverings around others, and most of all, getting vaccinated,” the press release said.

“We are at a critical point in our community,” said Nordstrom. “I want to serve you as your local health authority.

“Please help me in this. I do not ask this for political, religious, or other reasons. I will tell you what I know.”

Other numbers given included, “We have a seven-day average of 19,598 new cases per day in Texas. To put that in perspective, in June we had less than 150 new cases per day in the state.

“Over 25-percent of the ER visits in our regional area are COVID-related, and 91-percent of those hospitalized for COVID at Baylor Scott & White are unvaccinated.”

It also stated 91-percent of BS&W’s ICU patients are unvaccinated, and 93 percent of patients on ventilators are unvaccinated.

“Here’s what I am asking from you: the best way we can eliminate serious infection is by getting vaccinated,” Nordstrom said. “That means everyone – even those who have had the virus, as getting the vaccine will strengthen or prolong your immunity.

“Again and again, I hear of studies that look at the risks of infection versus the risks of the vaccine, and the side effects of the vaccine are much safer. If you have concerns about the vaccine, please talk to your doctor.”

The vaccine is known to have side effects that are still unknown in some cases too. The vaccine is a choice, but my colleague in France said he wished it had been a choice he could have made versus mandatory because his face is now paralyzed from the Pfizer vaccine, according to his doctor in Paris.

“Side effects are not common I have been told, but when it happens to you, common is thrown out the window” he said.