Midland ISD Experiencing Covid-19 Surge Two Weeks After School Starts

MIDLAND, TX –– Covid-19 continues to impact schools in Texas. On Wednesday, the Midland Independent School District announced 350 active cases between students and staff two weeks after classes began.

According to officials, 306 students and 44 staff members –– including several school nurses and campus leaders –– have tested positive for the coronavirus.

While Midland ISD is unable to implement a mask mandate, they are limiting volunteers on campus, encouraging schools to hold events outdoors with masks, and social distance.

“Masks for us is the best measure right now to help stop the spread in our schools and I just encourage all the parents out there to send your children to school with one and to model mask-wearing when you’re in crowded public spaces, in particular indoors,” said Superintendent Dr. Angelica Ramsey.

According to the Chief Medical Officer of Midland Memorial Hospital, Dr. Larry Wilson, the current surge the community is experiencing is very different from prior upticks in cases.

“It’s rising pretty much straight up at this point and time. We looked at a graph last night with our physicians that shows that and it’s very sobering. Very scary," said Dr. Wilson. "The numbers are not going to go down even if we do everything perfectly today, this is going to continue to trend upward."

In an effort to combat the surge, 21 nurses and 10 respiratory therapists have been onboarded to MMH. The new staff would allow twelve more beds to be opened in a hospital that is full to the brim. Officials are also seeking to hire contract nurses amid the surge.
 
“We’re all demanding help from the same pool of traveling nurse and respiratory therapy staff so costs have gone very high, availability is limited, but we are continuing to try and source them ourselves as well as benefiting from the help we get from the state.”

The hospital staff is also devising strategies to keep patients who are in the early stages of the infection out of the hospital.