Craig Hudson for The Washington Post via Getty Images
(WASHINGTON) — A measles case was confirmed in a person who traveled to Washington, D.C., on an Amtrak train, according to the D.C. Department of Health (DC Health).
The person visited multiple locations while contagious, including the southbound Amtrak Northeast Regional 175 Train and Union Station on March 19 as well as a MedStar Urgent Care in Adams Morgan on March 22, DC Health said in a press release on Tuesday.
DC Health said it is currently working to inform people who were at these locations that they may have been exposed.
Health officials are specifying that people who are “not immune” are most at-risk of infection. This includes those who are unvaccinated or who have never contracted measles before.
DC Health did not immediately respond to ABC News’ request for comment.
“DC Public Health has notified Amtrak of a confirmed case of measles in a customer traveling on Amtrak Train 175 from New York to Washington Union Station on Wednesday, March 19,” Amtrak said in a statement on Wednesday. “Amtrak is reaching out directly to customers who were on this train to notify them of possible exposure.”
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene also released a statement on Wednesday, saying it is “aware” of the confirmed case and the patient’s travel.
“Public Health agencies routinely exchange information when exposures occur in other localities, and we are in communication with the DC Department of Health on this matter,” the statement read in part.
The CDC has confirmed 378 measles cases so far this year in at least 17 states: Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Washington. This is likely an undercount due to delays in states reporting cases to the federal health agency.
Health officials are encouraging those who have never been vaccinated before to receive the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine.
The CDC currently recommends that people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says. Most vaccinated adults don’t need a booster.
ABC News’ Matt Foster and Othon Leyva contributed to this report.
(WASHINGTON) — Measles vaccination rates appear to be increasing in some areas of the U.S. that have been affected by outbreaks this year.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that people receive two doses of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine — the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says.
Of the 378 measles cases confirmed by the CDC so far this year, the majority have been among those who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown.
In western Texas, an outbreak has infected 327 people, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Of those cases, just two have been among people fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine.
Health officials have been urging anyone who isn’t vaccinated to receive the MMR vaccine or to catch up on missed doses.
In Texas, as of March 16, at least 173,362 MMR vaccine doses have been administered across the state this year, according to DSHS data provided to ABC News.
This is higher than the number of doses administered in the state over the same period since at least 2020.
A DSHS spokesperson told ABC News that because there is no statewide requirement to report vaccine administration, the data is not a comprehensive accounting of all MMR vaccines administered in the state.
Lubbock County, in western Texas, has seen 10 measles cases so far this year, DSHS data shows. Despite not being at the epicenter of the outbreak, the number of people being vaccinated has increased, according to Katherine Wells, director of public health for the city of Lubbock.
“We’re 75 miles east of the actual outbreak, but we’re seeing an increase in the number of vaccinations that we’re giving in our community,” she told ABC News. “Over the last four weeks, our health department has been operating a walk-in vaccine clinic that’s just for MMR, and that vaccine clinic [has] administered a little over 300 vaccines.”
She added that health officials have seen multiple babies under 6 months old who have been exposed to measles. Because they are too young to be vaccinated, they have been given shots of immunoglobulin, which are antibodies that act as a post-exposure prophylaxis.
Wells said the vaccines are available at no cost, and health officials have been trying to spread the word over social media and the local news.
“So we’re kind of just getting the people that, I think, either their children are behind on vaccines, just because parents get busy and it’s hard to get your four-year-old sometimes into the doctor’s office, or people that were kind of on the fence about vaccines and maybe said, ‘Well, I don’t want to vaccinate my kids, because you never see measles.’ But now that you’re seeing measles, they’re bringing their children in for vaccinations,” she said.
In conversations with colleagues in nearby health departments, such as in epicenter Gaines County, Wells has said it’s been harder to reach residents to distribute the MMR vaccine, making the process somewhat of a “struggle.”
She explained that in Lubbock, the health department building is large — with most residents knowing where it is — and the department has more outreach staff than smaller departments.
“I think it’s a little bit harder in some of these rural areas, because they’re setting up in places that might not be as familiar to individuals,” Wells said. “They’re finding different locations in order to have those clinics; they’re starting to focus a lot more on school-based clinics. So, let’s go to where the children are and get the parents to come to that school and then offer the vaccine there, which I think is a great tactic.”
Meanwhile, in nearby New Mexico, the state Department of Health (NMDOH) reported a total of 43 measles cases so far this year. Most of the cases have been confirmed in Lea County, which borders western Texas.
Health officials suspect there may be a connection between the Texas and New Mexico cases, but a link has not yet been confirmed.
Data from NMDOH provided to ABC News shows that between Feb. 1 and March 24 of this year, more than 13,100 MMR doses have been administered. Of those, about 7,000 doses have been administered among those under age 18 and about 6,100 have been administered among adults.
This is more than the double the number of MMR vaccine doses that were administered over the same period last year, according to Robert Nott, communications director for the NMDOH. The vaccines are being administered at no charge.
“We’re encouraged by the number of people getting vaccinated but we’re not taking it for granted,” Nott told ABC News. “You can see nationwide: measles is highly contagious.”
Measles is one of the most contagious diseases known to humans. Just one infected patient can spread measles to up to nine out of 10 susceptible close contacts, according to the CDC.
The measles virus can linger in the air and live on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person has left a room, the CDC says.
Wells, from Lubbock, said during a press briefing last week that it could take up to a year to gain control over the outbreak.
“Our number of cases are continuing to increase daily. There [are] also still cases that are unreported or under-reported because people aren’t seeking testing,” she told ABC News. “So, I still think we’re on the growth side of this outbreak, and it’s going to be until we get a significant number of vaccines and really be able to identify all of those cases. So, it’ll take both of those things happening before we can get this under control.”
(AUSTIN, Texas) — The measles outbreak in western Texas is continuing to grow with 18 cases confirmed over the last five days, bringing the total to 327 cases, according to new data published Tuesday.
Nearly all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). At least 40 people have been hospitalized so far.
Just two cases have occurred in people fully vaccinated with the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, according to the data.
In the Texas outbreak, children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases at 140, followed by children ages 4 and under accounting for 105 cases, according to the data.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities. DSHS is working with local health departments to investigate the outbreak,” the department said in a press release.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Antonio Perez/Chicago Tribune/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
(AUSTIN, Texas) — The number of measles cases associated with an outbreak in western Texas has grown to 309, with 30 cases reported over the last three days, according to new data released Friday.
This means the total number of Texas cases linked to the outbreak in roughly two months has surpassed the number confirmed for the entirety of last year in the U.S., which saw 285 cases nationwide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown. At least 40 people have been hospitalized so far, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS).
Just two cases have occurred in people fully vaccinated with the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
Children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases, at 130, followed by children ages 4 and under accounting for 102 cases.
There have been two U.S. deaths linked to measles this year, with one confirmed and one under investigation.
The death was the first U.S. measles death recorded in a decade, according to data from the CDC.
A possible second measles death was recorded after an unvaccinated New Mexico resident tested positive for the virus following their death. The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) said the official cause of death is still under investigation.
New Mexico has reported a total of 42 measles cases so far this year, according to the NMDOH. Many of the cases have been confirmed in Lea County, which borders western Texas. Four of the New Mexico cases occurred in people who were vaccinated with at least one MMR dose, while 30 cases were reported in unvaccinated individuals, according to the NMDOH. Eight of the cases presented in people whose vaccination status is unknown.
Health officials suspect there may be a connection between the Texas and New Mexico cases but a link has not been confirmed.
The CDC has confirmed 301 measles cases in at least 14 states so far this year as of last week, including Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Washington. This is likely an undercount due to delays in states reporting cases to the federal health agency.
The majority of nationally confirmed cases are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, the CDC said. Of those cases, 3% are among those who received just one dose of the MMR inoculation and 2% are among those who received the required two doses, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second dose between 4 and 6 years of age.
One dose is 93% effective and two doses are 97% effective in preventing measles, the CDC says. Most vaccinated adults don’t need a booster, per the health agency.
In the face of the growing measles outbreak, the CDC issued an alert on March 7, saying that parents in the outbreak area should consider getting their children their first MMR vaccine between ages 6 and 11 months, followed by the previously recommended scheduled doses at 12-15 months and then at 4-6 years old, for a total of three vaccinations. Texas health officials have also recommended early vaccination for infants living in outbreak areas.
ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — As measles cases continue to spread across the United States, many Americans may be asking themselves if they need a measles vaccine booster to enhance protection.
An outbreak in western Texas has grown to 279 cases, mostly among those who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown. Meanwhile, an outbreak in nearby New Mexico has also increased, reaching 38 cases as of Wednesday.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends that people receive two vaccine doses, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second between 4 and 6 years old. One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says.
Most vaccinated adults don’t need another vaccine dose, said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. He also said it’s important to call another shot of the MMR vaccine “a dose” as opposed to a “booster.”
He explained that the measles vaccine used to be a single-dose vaccine before a second dose was recommended in the late 1980s.
“In the late ’80s, there were sort of big outbreaks of measles,” Offit told ABC News. “But if you looked at the epidemiology of those outbreaks, it was in people who never got a vaccine.”
He went on, “So it wasn’t that the immunity faded, that the vaccine wasn’t good enough. It’s an excellent vaccine as a single-dose vaccine. The problem was people didn’t get it. So, the second dose recommendation really was to give children a second chance to get a first dose.”
Depending on the year you were born
If someone was born before 1957, they are presumed to have life-long immunity against measles, Offit said.
Before the MMR vaccine was available, nearly everyone was infected with measles, mumps and rubella during childhood, according to the CDC.
Those with a confirmed laboratory diagnosis of measles are protected from the virus, the agency adds.
In 1963, the first measles vaccine became available, followed by an improved vaccine in 1968, said Dr. Gregory Poland, a vaccinologist and co-director of The Atria Research Institute — which focuses on disease prevention.
A very small number of people, representing less than 5% of Americans, may have received the inactivated measles vaccine from 1963 through 1967 during childhood, which may not have offered sufficient protection against the virus. These people would be eligible for re-vaccination with one or two doses, the CDC says.
“So, the first measles vaccine licensed in the U.S. was in 1963 and it was an inactivated vaccine,” he told ABC News. “That inactivated vaccine had two consequences to it. One, it did not produce protective immunity and, number two, it led to — when people did get exposed and infected — it led to atypical measles, and that can be very severe.”
Poland said, at the time, there was also a live attenuated measles vaccine, similar to what is used today “but it was not very attenuated or weakened, and so it caused a lot of side effects.”
He explained that to decrease side effects, physicians would give a patient a vaccine and then a shot of immunoglobulin, or antibodies. While this decreased side effects, it also tended to kill the vaccine virus, not giving people adequate immunity.
For those who were vaccinated with the single-dose vaccine similar to the one used today — or received the MMR vaccine — Offit said another dose is likely not needed.
In 1989, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Family Physicians recommended children receive a second MMR dose.
Offit and Poland said anyone who has received two doses of the MMR vaccine does not need to receive another dose.
If someone is unsure if they are immune to measles, they should first try to find their vaccination records. If they cannot find written documentation, there is generally no harm in receiving another dose of the MMR vaccine, according to the CDC. A health care provider can also test blood to determine whether someone is immune, but this is generally not recommended.
In the face of the growing measles outbreak, the CDC issued an alert on March 7 saying parents in the outbreak area should consider getting their children an early third dose of the MMR vaccine.
Texas health officials have also recommended early vaccination for infants living in outbreak areas.
This would result in three doses overall: an early dose between age 6 months and 11 months and then the two regularly scheduled doses.
Poland says it’s important to note that this dose is only for infants living in high-risk areas or going to visit high-risk areas and not recommended for most children.
“Generally, the reason we don’t give [the vaccine] at an early age is that, if the mother was immunized or had disease, the antibodies that she has are passed through the placenta to the baby — those last around 12 months,” he said. “If you give the vaccine prior to that, then some amount of that live virus vaccine will be killed by the mother’s antibodies circulating in the baby, and so it’s not long-lasting, high-titer immunity.”
(LUBBOCK, Texas) — The measles outbreak in western Texas is continuing to grow with 20 additional cases confirmed, bringing the total to 279 cases, according to new state data published Tuesday.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Just two cases are among fully vaccinated individuals. At least 36 people have been hospitalized so far, the state said.
In the Texas outbreak, children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases, at 120, followed by children ages 4 and under making up 88 cases, the DSHS data shows.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,” the DSHS said in its update.
The number of measles cases in Texas is close to the number confirmed for the entirety of last year in the U.S., which saw 285 cases nationwide, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Two likely measles deaths have been reported so far in the U.S. this year. The first reported death was in Texas, according to the DSHS. The child did not have any known underlying conditions, according to the department.
The death was the first U.S. measles death recorded in a decade, according to data from the CDC.
A possible second measles death was recorded after an unvaccinated New Mexico resident tested positive for the virus following their death. The New Mexico Department of Health (NMDOH) said the official cause of death is still under investigation.
New Mexico has reported a total of 33 measles cases so far this year, according to the NMDOH. Many of the cases have been confirmed in Lea County, which borders western Texas.
Health officials suspect there may be a connection between the Texas and New Mexico cases, but a link has not yet been confirmed.
The CDC has confirmed 301 measles cases in at least 14 states so far this year, including Alaska, California, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Vermont and Washington, according to new data published Friday.
The majority of nationally confirmed cases are in people who are unvaccinated or whose vaccination status is unknown, the CDC said. Of those cases, 3% are among those who received just one dose of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) inoculation and 2% are among those who received the required two doses, according to the CDC.
The CDC recommends that people receive two doses of the MMR vaccine, the first at ages 12 to 15 months and the second dose between ages 4 and 6 years old.
One dose is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective, the CDC says. Most vaccinated adults don’t need a booster, per the health agency.
In the face of the growing measles outbreak, the federal health agency issued an alert on March 7 saying parents in the outbreak area should consider getting their children an early third dose of the MMR vaccine. Texas health officials have also recommended early vaccination for infants living in outbreak areas.
ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud and Sony Salzman contributed to this report.
(LUBBOCK, Texas) — The measles outbreak in western Texas is continuing to grow with 20 additional cases confirmed, bringing the total to 279 cases, according to new state data published Tuesday.
Almost all of the cases are in unvaccinated individuals or in individuals whose vaccination status is unknown, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). Just two cases are among fully vaccinated individuals. At least 36 people have been hospitalized so far, the state said.
In the Texas outbreak, children and teenagers between ages 5 and 17 make up the majority of cases, at 120, followed by children ages 4 and under making up 88 cases, the DSHS data shows.
“Due to the highly contagious nature of this disease, additional cases are likely to occur in the outbreak area and the surrounding communities,” the DSHS said in its update.
Two likely measles deaths have been reported so far in the U.S. The first reported death was an Texas, according to the DSHS. The child did not have any known underlying conditions, according to the department.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
Roy Rochlin/Getty Images for Find Your Light Foundation
(WASHINGTON) — The Department of Health & Human Services (HHS) appears to have taken down a webpage from the Office of the Surgeon General (OSG) that included an advisory on gun violence.
In June 2024, then-U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory declaring gun violence to be a public health crisis in America, calling for an evidence-based approach to public health change as well as a ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines for civilian use.
“Firearm violence is an urgent public health crisis that has led to loss of life, unimaginable pain, and profound grief for far too many Americans,” Murthy said in a statement at the time.
The OSG issued a press release at the time showing that at least 10 national medical organizations — including the American Medical Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American College of Surgeons, American Public Health Association and the YWCA — wrote statements in support of the advisory.
However, the webpage where the advisory existed currently displays a “Page Not Found” message.
“We’re sorry, but there is no www.hhs.gov page that matches your entry. Possible reasons: The page may have been moved, it no longer exists, or the address may have been typed incorrectly,” the website states, as of Monday.
The White House did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment.
In a statement to ABC News, the HHS said that the department “and the Office of the Surgeon General are complying with President Trump’s Executive Order on Protecting Second Amendment Rights.”
Last month, President Donald Trump issued an executive order, directing the Attorney General to review “[a]ll Presidential and agencies’ actions from January 2021 through January 2025 that purport to promote safety but may have impinged on the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens.”
HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has previously stated he believes in the Second Amendment but that he wants to determine the cause of mass shootings.
In a 2023 live stream on X with Elon Musk, Kennedy falsely claimed there is “tremendous circumstantial evidence” that people using antidepressants were more likely to commit school shootings. Experts previously told ABC News there is no evidence to suggest that patients with mental health disorders, or those who are on medications for disorders, are more likely to be violent.
Firearm-related injuries are the leading cause of death in the U.S. among kids and teens. Gun-related suicides have risen among all age groups from 2012 to 2022; the greatest rise has been among 10–14-year-olds, according to Murhty’s advisory.
Gun violence prevention programs, such as GIFFORDS — which was founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords — criticized the Trump administration for the removal of the advisory.
“By removing this important public health advisory with lifesaving resources, President Trump has chosen to prioritize gun industry profits over protecting kids and families,” Emma Brown, executive director of GIFFORDS, said in a statement. “Guns have been the number one killer of American children and adolescents since 2020, and non-partisan health care experts have understood gun violence as a public health crisis for years.”
ABC News’ Medical Unit’s Dr. Jade Cobern contributed to this report.
(NEW YORK) — Transgender adults who received gender-affirming hormone therapy had a significantly lower risk of moderate-to-severe depression over four years compared to those who did not receive such care, according to a new study published in the journal JAMA Network Open.
The study tracked 3,592 transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse adults and found that those prescribed hormones like estrogen or testosterone had a 15% lower risk of depression symptoms, reinforcing the mental health benefits of this treatment.
The findings “support the mental health-promoting role of hormones” and their status as “a medically necessary treatment,” said Sari Reisner, an associate professor of epidemiology at University of Michigan School of Public Health and one of the study’s authors. “Hormones play a vital role in the mental health of trans people who need them.”
The study acknowledges that other factors, such as mental health treatment, social support and other influences on mood, could have affected the findings. It also did not track the duration patients received gender-affirming hormone therapy or whether they underwent other forms of gender-affirming care, such as surgery.
Transgender people in the U.S. are two to three times more likely to have a history of depression, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The study warns that mental health disparities continue to worsen in transgender and gender diverse communities, as access to gender-affirming care becomes more difficult.
Dr. Alexes Hazen, a New York City plastic surgeon specializing in gender-affirming procedures, says she has seen a rise in depression among her patients in recent months. Many have expressed concerns over the wave of state laws restricting or banning gender-affirming care, which has made finding treatment more difficult and left many feeling hopeless.
“Unfortunately, some states are not as friendly to patients and care providers,” Hazen said. “Some states have publicly stated their allegiance to trans and nonbinary folks, and those places will become safe havens for care.”
As barriers to gender-affirming care grow, the new study underscores its importance for mental health in transgender patients. These services “address the pervasive mental health inequities that trans people experience,” Reisner said, emphasizing that access to this care is both medically necessary and essential for reducing depression risk.
“Our findings underscore the importance of protecting and upholding the right to accessible healthcare for trans people,” Reisner said,
Hazen recommended community-based health centers that cater to LGBTQ+ patients as a key resource for gender-affirming care. The study also reinforced the importance of these clinics, arguing that the gender-affirming treatment they provide improves access and supports mental health, particularly for those in underserved communities.
Alice Gao, MD, MPH, is a family medicine resident at Temple Northwest Community Family Medicine and a member of the ABC News Medical Unit.
(NEW YORK) — Dr. Kimberly Shriner remembers the first COVID-19 patient who came into Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California, in March 2020.
He was a 35-year-old man who arrived at the hospital short of breath.
“He went straight to our intensive care unit. We were very suspicious that he had COVID,” Shriner, an infectious disease specialist and the hospital’s medical director of infectious disease and infection prevention, told ABC News.
Testing was minimal at the time, but eventually the results came back and confirmed that he had COVID. The patient was eventually sedated and intubated, and he died 24 hours later. Shriner said the next few patients admitted to the hospital for COVID-19 followed similar trajectories, becoming more and more short of breath before eventually dying of their illness.
“As physicians, we understand death,” Shriner said. “We understand that we can’t save every patient, but when you’re having 100% mortality with your first experience with this thing, it was pretty overwhelming and daunting. That first week [was] particularly surreal.”
Tuesday, March 11, marked five years since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the global outbreak of COVID-19 to be a pandemic. The U.S. is in a much better situation now, with fewer hospitalizations and deaths — and vaccines to prevent severe illness from COVID, frontline health care workers say.
However, they add that, as Americans become more removed from the early days of COVID, it may be hard to remember what it was like — especially for those who were treating patients.
“Everybody was worried, doctors, nurses,” Dr. Matthew Sims, director of infectious disease research for Corewell Health, a non-profit health care system located in Michigan, told ABC News. “It was absolutely crazy, and I think that people have forgotten. I think people have forgotten the horror of what COVID was like in the beginning and, I mean, it was a horror situation.”
Quickly changing world
Shriner said one of the indicators of how quickly the world was changing was the evolution of her hospital’s meetings about the virus and how to prepare as information was starting to come out of China.
“Meetings were held in a very tiny, little meeting room. Nobody was wearing masks or anything,” she said. “And then as things began to evolve, and we saw it was happening, that the rooms got started getting bigger, and then we started meeting with masks on, and then, eventually, went virtual.”
Shriver recalled that the situation was “very terrifying” on a personal and professional level.
“If we’d known how difficult it was going to be, I think we would have been even more disturbed,” she said.
Sims said it became clear how quickly patients could get infected in March 2020. Not long after the WHO declared a global pandemic, he came on shift that week to be the infectious disease doctor rotating in the hospital.
“We had two confirmed cases admitted at that point. By the end of the week I spent on, we had over 100 confirmed cases admitted,” he told ABC News. “It was absolutely devastating to the hospital, to the health care system as a whole … It was a crazy time.”
The state of hospitals
Both Sims and Shriner said the lack of early testing at the time was a source of frustration. Since routine testing wasn’t available, results often took days — or even weeks — to return.
Additionally, hospital labs often had to confirm results with state departments of health.
Sim said as the hospitals became full, it sometimes became a race against the clock to try and treat patients.
“I remember one of the most devastating cases I saw was a young man, relatively young, young kids at home,” he said. “A little overweight, I think he was a diabetic, but he just got super sick, and we were trying to get remdesivir, which was compassionate use at the time,” referencing an antiviral drug later approved to treat COVID-19.
Sims said the hospital had to call up the company manufacturing the drug, tell them about the patient and then get approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to use doses on the patient.
“And we got approval, and then they have to ship it to us,” Sims said. “It was all being shipped as fast as possible, but before it could even get here, that patient got too sick to even use it, and the patient died. A week before, he was home with his kids, his wife, et cetera, in normal state of health, and then, all of a sudden, got this terrible virus and died.”
As it became clear how contagious the virus was, hospital staff were required to always wear masks. Shriner said she still has a scar or imprint on her nose from having to wear a mask for 18 hours a day.
One of things she remembers most was the lack of sound, other than machines, whenever she visited ICUs.
“As the months progressed, we ended up having six different intensive care units because the patients were so sick,” she said. “We had many, many patients that were on ventilators. You’d walk into these areas, and it was just silence. All you heard were the ventilators going and seeing people in full protective gear all the time.”
To handle the influx of patients, both hospitalized and in emergency departments, Shriner said her hospital stopped all non-emergency surgeries to be able to have extra physicians available.
COVID-19 vaccines arrive
On Dec. 11, 2020, the FDA granted Pfizer-BioNTech the first emergency use authorization for a COVID-19 vaccine for those aged 16 and older. Three days later, nurse Sandra Lindsay became the first person to receive a COVID-19 vaccine in the U.S. as distribution began.
Both Shriner and Sims felt a sense of relief that a tool was finally available to help stem the spread of disease.
Shriner said she was the first person in her hospital to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, even though she didn’t want to be.
“I didn’t want to be the first person. I was perfectly fine with letting other people go ahead of me,” she said. “And [the CEO] said to me, ‘You have to be.’ She said, ‘If you don’t get vaccinated, nobody else is going to do it.'”
Shriner said the distribution of the vaccine “was a sign of the way out. It was very hopeful.”
Lessons learned
Both Sims and Shriner say COVID-19 taught health care workers many lessons, including how to share information quickly, how to diligently monitor diseases and how to scale up health care capacity.
Sims said another valuable discovery was better communicating to the public that information during a public health crisis can change rapidly.
One example is that early studies would come out suggesting certain drugs might help treat patients. Eventually additional information would be published proving the opposite.
“We were learning, and we were learning in such a rapid [way], it was hard to communicate,” he said. “I think if we had any failure, it was that in that rapid push to communicate.”
Sims noted how that created some uncertainty.
“We didn’t get the message across enough that some of what we’re learning may be wrong, and we will tell you that as we learn,” Sims said. “We’re going to tell you what we know now that may not be the same thing we know tomorrow.”
Shriner added that stay-at home orders and lockdowns were hard on people and, if another pandemic happens, she is hopeful there would be different decisions on what should be locked down.
“Maybe we don’t have such stringent lockdown rules and isolation rules,” she said. “You know, the outdoor restaurant became a great thing. You know, think of all the home delivery services really took off. And so, a lot of good things came out of it, but they were hard won.”
