CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Hospitals have a purpose: to save lives and heal those who are sick.
In order to do that, the building needs to serve as a safe place where medical experts can work. Visitors have a role that's just as important.
"If you're not vaccinated, then the main thing is you need to try to avoid going into any health care facility," said Dr. Salim Surani, a local Pulmonologist.
On Wednesday, the Corpus Christi Medical Center updated their visitation policy. It limits the number of visitors a patient can have from two to one during visiting hours.
Dr. Surani said that limitation can make the healing process quite a journey.
"They [the patients] feel very lonely," Dr. Surani added. "They get scared. Some of the people are not doing good and they're about to get on a ventilator."
He said if your loved one is in the hospital and you can't visit them, you can still connect socially because chances are they'll need your support.
For Daniel Garcia, his wife, Veronica, is still recovering from the aftermath of COVID-19. He remembers when she was in a coma and he couldn't be there to hold her hand, but she knew he was close thanks to an angel, her nurse.
"He [the nurse] would tell us, 'Hey I got to go in there and do her vitals and what not and check on her, but I'll go ahead and call you once I get in the room and just put the phone to her ear' and I mean, that made us happy," said Garcia.
In those moments, a cellphone was the glue that kept them all connected.
"Myself, my son and her parents were able to talk to her," Garcia said. "Even though we know she wasn't able to respond, we know she was hearing us."
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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