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Volume 11 | Issue 8
Inside This Issue
August Edition 2021
Significant Upticks in Delta Variant and Overall Covid-19 Cases in Houston By Lisa Merkl Latest Virus Genome Sequencing Results from Houston Methodist Reveal Concerning Trends
T Racial Disparities in Prostate Cancer See pg. 7
INDEX Legal Matters........................ pg.3 Oncology Research......... pg.5 The Framework.................... pg.9 Financial Forecast............ pg.10 Healthy Heart......................pg.11
he number of Delta variant COVID-19 cases at Houston Methodist has nearly doubled over the last week and is sixfold higher than in May. The most recent genome sequencing data through the end of June show the Delta variant in our patients now at 42%, up from 20% reported last week. The Delta variant has now surpassed the Alpha variant, which had been the dominant strain in Houston since March 2021, but now presently accounts for only 40% of new infections in our patients. Houston the Delta variant to be 7.5 days. Statistical plateau at 92% of all new infections Methodist has seen 139 Delta cases models predict the Delta variant will within the next couple weeks. This pattern in Houston patients is through June 28. similar to what was seen with the H o u s t o n Alpha variant here and in the UK Methodist’s team of earlier this year, and more recently infectious disease with the Delta variant in the UK. pathologists, who Couple this increase with the sequence the slight uptick we are seeing this genome of every week in overall COVID-19 cases, positive COVID-19 strain throughout Randall J. Olsen, M.D., Ph.D., and it underscores the urgency of increasing vaccination rates to the hospital system, medical director of Houston Methodist’s has calculated the see Delta..page 14 doubling time of Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory
Vaccine-induced herd immunity is our best tool and the only way to stop these variants from spreading and to prevent new variants from forming.
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Memorial Hermann Southeast Hospital Earns Magnet® Recognition See pg. 8
Know The Signs: Heat Exhaustion Can Quickly Turn to Heat Stroke
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weating in the summer sun is one thing, overheating is another. According to an expert at Baylor College of Medicine, the main concern with heat exhaustion is that it can lead to heat stroke if symptoms are ignored. Heat exhaustion occurs when there is a moderate increase in body temperature, while heat stroke is a step further – the body can no longer control sweat and excess heat so body temperature rises even higher. Heat stroke can become fatal if not treated
immediately. “Heat stroke occurs when the core temperature of the body reaches 104 degrees Fahrenheit and changes in our central nervous system take place such as disorientation, confusion, behavioral or emotional changes or altered mental status,” said Isabel Valdez, physician assistant and assistant professor of general internal medicine at Baylor. “In some case, seizures or comas can also occur. Vital internal organs like the brain, liver and kidneys
can be damaged by heat stroke.” Symptoms The best way to prevent heat stroke is by first recognizing the signs of heat exhaustion, which include sweating, rapid heart rate, lightheadedness, headache, low blood see Heat Stroke...page 14
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