2022 Medical Staff | Medical Support Needed | Innovative Treatment | COVID-19 Information

Week of Jan. 10, 2022

Booster Vaccine Announcement

Last Friday Dr. Boom announced that all management, staff and physicians receive the COVID-19 booster vaccine. Management must receive the booster by Jan. 31, and staff and physicians must receive it by March 1. Click Here for more details about how to document that you have had your booster, exemptions and the consequences for not complying.

Why Get Boosted?

As the number of positive cases of omicron continues to soar, one question I’m hearing more often is “what’s the point of getting vaccinated or getting a booster if I could still catch it?” The easiest answer is that while you may still catch omicron, your body is going to be better prepared to fight it – or the next variant! 
 
Microbes are always evolving to spread faster and avoid detection and our immune system responses to them. This is why we sometimes have to modify a patient’s antibiotic course when fighting a bacterial infection. Microbes are smart! We often have to increase the dose or change the regimen to fight them – that’s what we’re doing by getting our booster shot – increasing the dose by giving a third shot. Click here to visit our Employee Health Portal to schedule your third dose if you haven’t done so yet.

Please indicate in the comments of the appointment request which dose you will be receiving (1st, 2nd, Additional (immunocompromised only), Booster) and which manufacturer (Pfizer or Moderna).

Employee Health Text Messages

Employee Health is texting employees who have tested positive for COVID-19 at a Houston Methodist facility. If you receive a text message from Houston Methodist about COVID-19 and your return to work, it is critical that you respond. If you have tested positive for COVID-19 and have sent your test result to Employee Health and do not receive a text message from them, it is likely they do not have your cell phone number or that your test result was not received by them. If this is the case, your manager or director will clear you for work. Please be on the lookout for text messages from Employee Health and respond in a timely manner!

Please be sure your contact information is accurate in MARS. To update your contact information, log into MARS, click on "Personal Details" and then click on "Contact Details".

What if I test positive for COVID-19?

Please view the COVID-19 testing FAQ for more information.

COVID-19 Cases in the Hospital

We created a chart that reflects the confirmed number of positive COVID-19 cases in both ICU and Med/Surg through Sunday, Jan. 9. View the chart.

You can find the most up-to-date COVID-19 data for our system by clicking here. Houston Methodist has made this data public and it is updated daily on our website.

I would like to congratulate our incoming 2022 Medical Staff Officers as well as the 2022 Committee and Department Leadership. Please join me in welcoming them into their new roles; I look forward to all your future contributions.

IMPORTANT DATES

Monday, Jan. 17: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Houston Methodist does not observe MLK Day, but your DEI Personal Day can be used for this holiday. Learn more.

Feb. 7 - Feb. 9: Virtual Magnet Recognition Program® Site Visit. Download the flyer to post on your unit.