More nurses coming to San Antonio to treat COVID-19 patients

SAN ANTONIO (KTSA News) – More nurses are on the way to San Antonio to help treat COVID-19 patients in hospitals as the numbers keep going up.   San Antonio Metro Health reported 351 new cases Monday, bringing the total since the pandemic started to 15,102.

More than a third have recovered so far, but the number of  coronavirus patients in local hospitals went up to 1,168. Of those, 382 are in ICU and 213 are using ventilators.   Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported that about 12 percent of staffed hospital beds are available, and more nurses are coming to San Antonio this week to help out.

“Fortunately, we’ve had support from the State and the federal government,” said Dr. Ken Davis, chief medical officer for Christus Santa Rosa Health System. “They’re sending nurses and respiratory therapists and ventilators to us.  Without that, we’d be in a much more dire situation than we are.”

Davis said 250 additional nurses should be here this week, and they’ll work where they’re needed the most–intensive care units. Dr. Anita Kurian with Metro Health said STRAC, Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, has requested 250 nurses from the Department of Defense and 565 nurses from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The death toll in Bexar County reached 132 with two additional coronavirus-related deaths Monday.  The latest victims were a Hispanic male in his 40s and a Hispanic woman in her 60s.