File photo
File photo
Mineral Wells is home to over 15,000 residents, which covers over half of the population of Palo Pinto County.
Since COVID-19 has become a medical and economic crisis, the county's only hospital has changed drastically to adapt to the pandemic.
"I would say, how it's changed my life, has been all-consuming,” Palo Pinto General Hospital CEO Ros Korkmas told NBC 5. “It's been something we deal with every day from the time we wake up until the time we go to bed."
As of April 26, Texas reported 25,297 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, including 663 deaths. Palo Pinto County has seven confirmed cases of COVID-19.
A day in the hospital has changed greatly and employees are now tested before they can enter the facility, all nurses and doctors are in full protective gear, and a portion of the hospital has been sealed off for coronavirus patients.
"They come in showing signs and symptoms, we have to get them tested,” Korkmas said. “And while they're being tested, we treat them as if they have the COVID-19 virus."
Doctors have transferred two of the most critical patients, sick with COVID-19 from Palo Pinto General to Forth Worth.
"Even as a physician I can tell you it's frightening to see how patients can go from something relatively mild – they're mildly sick – to developing to full respiratory failure within hours,” Dr. George Thomas said in the NBC 5 report.
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