Starr County’s partnership with DHR Health has only been strengthened under pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic and one of its latest collaborations seeks to bring clinical trials to the county’s hospital.
(Courtesy Photo)
Starr County residents could soon have the opportunity to participate in COVID-19 vaccine studies, according to Dr. Antonio Falcon, the province’s recently named health authority.
During a news conference Tuesday, Falcon said that after a conversation with DHR Health officials on Monday, researchers conducting the trial sought to recruit about 500 residents of Starr and Hidalgo counties in an effort to recruit more people of Latino descent.
“As you have all read, the immunizations look very, very promising,” Falcon said during the news conference Tuesday. “One of the things pharmaceutical companies did this year is while they were doing the immunizations, they were also preparing the immunization, so if (US Food and Drug Administration) gives approval, there will be a lot of medicine, a lot of of immunizations available to us. ”
Dr Sohail Rao, DHR Health’s Institute for Research and Development’s CEO and President, confirmed the efforts to bring clinical trials to Starr County.
“DHR Health Research Institute is partnering with Starr County Memorial Hospital to bring innovative clinical trials in the areas of cancer, liver disease, infectious diseases, diabetes, obesity and many other specialties, disciplines to Starr County citizens,” said Rao .
But another, direct collaboration between the two health institutions focuses on collecting plasma recovery for people already infected with COVID-19.
“We are working with the hospital to provide their convalescent plasma for malignant and life-threatening COVID-19 patients, and as of today, we have actually performed 47 convalescent plasma infusions in 47 patients,” Rao said.
On Saturday, Starr County Memorial will hold a plasma show from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in its lobby.
People over the age of 18 who have recovered from coronavirus disease have shown symptoms but have been symptom-free for at least 28 days are encouraged to donate their plasma.
“Patients who have recovered from COVID have the ability and antibodies to fight the infection for someone else,” Falcon said. “It has worked remarkably well in some patients.”
He added that the plasma would not be shipped outside the Rio Grande Valley, but used to help patients locally.
Another treatment has also been made available at the hospital, Falcon said, with the approval of Aviptadil, an antiviral intended to treat respiratory failure in patients with COVID-19.
The FDA approved the drug on Monday through its Expanded Access Protocol, a pathway for research drugs to be used for immediate life-threatening conditions. DHR Health also announced on Tuesday that the medicine is available for its patients.
“It’s a newer medication that helps fight the viral infection in the lungs, specifically,” Falcon said. “It seems to do well as an antiviral.”
Otherwise, the situation at Starr County Memorial Hospital is reported to be improving.
Instead of the difficult situation in which hospital officials found themselves just a month ago, and difficulty in handing over patients who needed an advanced level of care, Falcon said the hospital now had more capacity and transfers were not so necessary. .
“The situation in the hospital is better,” he said. “There are more beds available; it is very easy to transfer patients out, especially patients who needed intubation and a higher level of care. “
As of Monday, Falcon said, the hospital had 16 patients in the COVID-19 unit and 15 more in need of intensive care. He said no patients were on ventilators, though, one patient was ventilated and transferred Monday. In addition, there were three patients on BiPAP machines.
“The general situation in our community remains very serious, to say the least,” Falcon said. “However, there are glimpses of hope.”
