TEMPLE, Texas — COVID-19 changed healthcare — from the surge in virtual visits to the rapid roll out of vaccinations. Five years later, local doctors discuss the ongoing impact on the healthcare community.
- Dr. John Joseph reflects on the dramatic shift to virtual visits during the COVID-19 pandemic, with 156,000 video visits in April 2020
- The COVID-19 legislation allowed for out-of-state care and filling controlled substances remotely, but these changes ended once the legislation expired
- Vaccination rates have dropped significantly since 2020, with only 23.1 percent of adults vaccinated in 2024, despite ongoing concerns about the virus
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Dr. Joseph’s day to day life looks much different than it did five years ago — during the peak of COVID-19.
“It was a dark time — all of us had patients who had passed away from the virus, all of us had friends that either passed away or were affected by it,” said Baylor Scott & White Family Practice Physician, Dr. John Joseph.
One of the biggest adjustments made during the pandemic he says — an increase in virtual visits with patients.
He tells 25 News that in 2019, the Baylor Scott & White reported only 59 virtual visits throughout the institution.
That number would quickly change...
“In April of 2020, at the height of the pandemic, we reached 156,000 video visits — it grew exceptionally,” Dr. Joseph said.
Dr. Joseph says during the pandemic, doctors were able to treat patients from outside of the state, but that all ended once the COVID-19 legislation expired.
“Now the patient must be at least present in the state,” Dr. Joseph said.
During 2020, controlled substances were also allowed to be filled without ever seeing patients in person — something else that also ended once the legislation expired.
Another big change — vaccinations.
“Everybody was getting vaccinated — usually the question that was asked to me was 'When can I get vaccinated?," Dr. Joseph said.
According to the CDC, by the end of 2020, around two million people in the U.S. had received at least one dose of the vaccine.
But now, the number of people getting vaccinated has dropped significantly, with only 23.1 percent of adults aged 18 and up getting vaccinated in 2024.
“The virus is still out there and it is still contagious, but it is not as deadly as it was when people were no longer immune,” Dr. Joseph said.
Although it’s been five years since the community first faced the challenges of COVID-19, Dr. Joseph says it’s something he’ll never forget.
“I’ve never seen anything like COVID-19 — I started working here in 1986, before that I worked at the county hospital in Fort Worth," Dr. Joseph said.
"I’ve never seen anything as devastating as the pandemic was or anything that affected us personally as much."
He says he's glad to see the community moving forward.
