(Photo: County Judge Wade McKinney)
This podcast was recorded in the Henderson County Courthouse Annex on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
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I interviewed Henderson County Judge Wade McKinney Wednesday morning about the current COVID-19 statistics and vaccine availability.
I. Current Statistics (1:50)
At the time of the interview, the only figures available were from Tuesday and those showed record highs in both hospitalizations and percentage of staffed beds filled with COVID-19 patients. Wednesday's figures were both new highs as well with 658 hospitalized in the Trauma Service Area (TSA) and 21.58 percent of staffed beds filled with COVID-19 patients.
Remember, these figures are for the region and not just the county. We spend time in the podcast explaining the TSAs and why they are important.
II. Hospital in Athens (3:56)
According to McKinney, the Athens hospital has about 25 COVID-19 patients. That number fluctuates, but it has been in the 20s for the past few weeks.
McKinney also verified that patients are sometimes moved throughout the hospital system to help manage the load on local medical personnel. That means not everyone in the local hospital is always from Henderson County, and sometimes Henderson County patients are in other hospitals.
III. Around County Government (8:08)
Henderson County's government offices have been hit hard by COVID-19. In the Sheriff's Office, there are 18 inmates and 12 officers who are positive for COVID-19.
Judge McKinney said the rest of county government is in the same place.
"We even have a few, and have had a few throughout, that are hospitalized," he said.
IV. The Trend (9:00)
All COVID-19 numbers are trending upward and McKinney said, "and more is coming."
V. Information About Vaccines (12:36)
There are two main factors regarding vaccine distribution in Henderson County: where and how much.
Where: Locations have to be certified before they can administer the vaccine. Right now, there is a limited number of certified outlets in Henderson County. The number of locations with the vaccine is expected to grow in coming weeks.
How Much: Henderson County is getting a very limited supply of vaccine right now and what vaccine does come to the county gets distributed pretty quickly.
The County gets an update each week of which locations are getting vaccines and how much they are getting. McKinney posts this information on the County's website here bit.ly/hccovid. I will begin posting that information on the Hannigan Media Facebook Page and What's Happening in Henderson County blog as well.
VI. Vaccine Safety (25:00)
Some followers have pointed out that the vaccines have not gone through the normal FDA approval process, and that is true. Instead, the FDA has issued emergency approval authorization for the vaccines.
McKinney pointed out COVID-19 vaccine research had a head start because of the SARS outbreak in 2002-2004. He also said every physician he has spoken to has advocated for taking the vaccine.
VII. Possible Vaccination Event (33:00)
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) asked Henderson County if they could provide a future vaccination event.
McKinney described this discussion as preliminary and tentative. The State was just asking if the County could provide a location if it decides to hold an event.
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