Peterson's battle with COVID-19 continues with 38 hospitalized

Peterson Regional Medical Center's sustained battle against COVID-19 continued Thursday with 38 people admitted with the virus.

Based on data from Peterson Health, the Kerrville hospital averaged 30 COVID-19 patients every day since Aug. 20. Since July 23, Peterson has cared for approximately 151 people in the hospital.

During a community update meeting hosted by the city of Kerrville, Peterson Health President and CEO Cory Edmondson said the hospital is now seeing younger patients with COVID-19, including the youngest at 17.

The community update meeting was notable for its absences — Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator Dub Thomas and Kerrville Independent School District Superintendent Mark Foust.

Edmondson was joined by Kerrville Mayor Bill Blackburn and Kerrville Fire Chief Eric Maloney, who urged people to get vaccinated.

Blackburn noted the outbreaks in the schools but provided no context for the impact of Kerrville Independent School District's cases on the community. This week alone, KISD has produced more than 100 cases — almost all students. Since the start of school, KISD has surpassed cases during the 2020-2021 school year, and every one of the district's elementary schools has numbers greater than the year prior.

Peterson confirmed that there were 20 new cases on Thursday — driving this week's total to 141.

"There is a scary severity with COVID," Blackburn said. "We are seeing numbers go up. The community leadership group met this morning and it was really a sobering time."

Edmondson said the monoclonal antibody therapy is available at Peterson. It works, Edmondson said, but he said it's not a replacement for vaccines. Edmondson also said Peterson staff has also been harassed by people who refuse to wear masks in the hospital, and he politely asked people to be respectful of hospital staff.

On Thursday, Texas reported 21,000 additional cases and 341 deaths from COVID-19. Since July 4, more than 498,000 people have tested positive for COVID-19, with more than 4,600 deaths.