PASADENA – The number of COVID-19 patients being treated continues to increase every day.

One local woman told KPRC 2 that she has tested positive for COVID-19 twice. For the past nine days, she has been fighting the virus, along with pneumonia, at the HCA Houston Healthcare Southeast Hospital in Pasadena.

“I feel a lot better than I did a whole week ago,” said Deborah DeLeon. “I waited about six days in order to get a room because it’s so busy here also with all the COVID-19 patients.”

At 56 years old, DeLeon said she’s had a triple bypass and received a kidney but never experienced anything like COVID and pneumonia.

“Why did I get so ill after being vaccinated and how many other people are like me,” DeLeon said.

DeLeon said she has been receiving treatments of the drug, Remdesivir, which is helping speed up her recovery process.

Breakthrough cases?

Health experts are working to figure out how many people are getting the virus again after receiving the vaccine. The spike in COVID-19 cases is causing hospitals and staff to work overtime.

Dr. Safi Madain, the Senior Regional Medical Director at HCA Houston Healthcare, said while hospitals are busy, they already have plans in place to help people who are not dealing with COVID-19.

“We pride ourselves within the HCA system that all our patients are seen within 10 minutes and not seen by a nurse or by a greeter. You’re actually seen by a doctor or one of our highly qualified APP’s meaning physician assistant or nurse practitioner,” Madain said.

Madain said patients being treated for COVID-19 are having to wait at times for a bed, but the majority of the patients who require hospitalization for COVID-19 are unvaccinated.

“And for those that are vaccinated and have breakthrough infections those infections are typically very mild,” he said.

Madain said there is no delay when it comes to treating people.

“I don’t want a patient to sit in a hallway stretcher, but that patient is still getting the care that they need for COVID-19,” he said.

DeLeon said she can’t go home until her oxygen levels are back normal. She has a message for those who are still unsure about being vaccinated.

“It’s a must,” she said. “I have family that is not vaccinated, and I beg them to get vaccinated because this could have been a bad situation if I had not been vaccinated.”