YRMC Update: COVID hospitalizations spiking, update on patient clinical trials

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Over the past few days, we have seen hospitalizations increase at Yuma Regional Medical Center (YRMC). On Saturday, the total topped out at 93 patients.

Sunday's numbers show a slight drop in patients in the COVID Intensive Care Unit (ICU) from Saturday.

Just a couple of days ago, YRMC opened up another section of its COVID-19 unit allowing another 40 patients to receive treatment.

In total there are 90 beds in that unit but that’s not including the additional beds in the COVID ICU.

Meanwhile, Yuma Regional recently joined an international clinical trial that is researching a potential treatment for COVID-19.

This treatment could potentially help with reducing complications due to the virus and even save some lives in Yuma.

The clinical trial, called COLCORONA, is looking to treat patients by using a well-known, widely available, and inexpensive anti-inflammatory medication called Colchicine.

COLCORONA’s participants are recently diagnosed with COVID-19.

Dr. Oday Al-Rabadi is YRMC's principal investigator for the clinical trial.

“The best way to conduct trials is to randomize patients between the medication that we're trying to study versus what we call placebo, which is, you know, might be candy or something that has no medical effects, to see if there's a difference between the two groups, because sometimes, you know, without even any medication the patient can improve on their own. So, we need to know if that medication makes a big difference.”

Participants for the Yuma portion of the study must be over the age of 40 and live in Arizona.

This same research is being supported by doctors throughout the world including Canada here in the U.S.

A medical team is conducting the clinical trial at the Montreal Heart Institute in Canada.

Coming up tonight at 10 on NBC 11 and CBS 13 - hear from the institute’s research center director.