SAN ANTONIO – The family of San Antonio cumbia singer Ernesto Cortez said he couldn’t breathe on his own anymore, and going to the hospital was his only option after he tested positive for COVID-19.
“He’s been on the ventilator. He’s been fighting,” said Fernando Cortez, brother of Ernesto Cortez.
Ernesto Cortez, 46, sings in local cumbia band Onda Caliente.
“Everybody loves him. We miss him,” Fernando Cortez said.
The singer has been at Baptist Hospital in downtown since June 18. His family says he started with a fever and then developed a bad cough.
“He called the ambulance, that he couldn’t breathe,” Fernando Cortez said about his brother.
The Cortez family said they don’t know where their loved one contracted COVID-19.
On Thursday, the City of San Antonio reported 1,202 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized, 430 are in the ICU and 277 are on ventilators.
Dr. Paul Hancock, with Methodist Healthcare System, said some COVID-19 patients have a more extended stay at the hospital.
“They’re severely ill, and they’re continuing to battle the illness,” Hancock said.
Hancock said the hospital system has seen an increasing number of patients in ICU and on ventilators.
“I think that’s probably a reflection of the wave we just had, the very high increase in cases. Some of those patients may have been in the hospital for a few days and then now have progressed and have moved into ICU level of care and are on ventilators,” Hancock said.
Hancock said people should not let COVID-19 fears stop them from seeking medical care for issues such as a stroke or a heart attack. He said hospitals follow strict protocols to keep patients safe.