Memorial Hermann highlights struggles with omicron variant

Kendrick added Memorial Hermann is getting help from the state for nursing with around 200 additional nurses coming to the Houston area.

“When you go through a fourth surge like this, the PTSD, the second victim syndrome and mental health really remains top of mind,” Kendrick said. “We have lots of actions and initiatives; we have brought in licensed therapists full time to the campuses. This continues to be a really difficult thing for us to work through.”

Kendrick said Memorial Hermann has reinstated its limited visitor policy due to the contagious nature of the omicron variant.

Dr. Chris Langan, chief medical officer for Memorial Hermann, said the omicron variant spreads 70 times faster than previous variants. However, the new variant is less capable of penetrating deep lung tissue.

“Though it spreads faster, it grows 10 times more slowly in your lung tissue in early studies,” Langan said. “That has been what was killing us.”

Langan noted with the omicron variant, symptoms include fever, coughing, runny nose, nausea and a sore throat. Loss of taste and smell is uncommon with the omicron variant.

“We think the current peak in Texas will be in about two weeks and will carry us through February,” Langan said.

Dr. Amrita Singh, pediatric hospitalist with Texas Children’s Hospital, said the positivity rate for coronavirus in children has increased over the past month, rising from 3% to 34%.

“About a month ago, we had eight patients in the Texas Children’s system with [coronavirus],” Singh said. “Our children numbers are much lower than adults .... Now we have 118 admitted [Jan. 6].”

Singh added the number of pediatric beds for treating children is much lower compared to treating adults.

Memorial Hermann officials encouraged those in attendance at the meeting to get vaccinated, wear masks when around others and to distance when possible as well as following quarantine guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.