Posted 2 years ago
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) announced new COVID-19 mitigation measures on Monday, including asking hospitals to delay elective medical procedures in order to free up hospital beds for COVID-19 patients, and requesting out-of-state medical personnel to come help with the surge in cases.
Still, the governor did not back down on his refusal to institute any new statewide restrictions on businesses or to let local governments and schools mandate masks or vaccines.
Instead, Abbott announced he had written to the Texas Hospital Association asking hospitals to "voluntarily postpone medical procedures for which delay will not result in loss of life or a deterioration in the patient’s condition." Abbott notably did not mention any action regarding masks. In May, he banned local governments and schools from issuing mask mandates. Abbott and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) have faced increasing criticism over their mask mandate bans as delta variant cases rise among the unvaccinated.
Houston hospitals have been forced to treat hundreds of COVID-19 patients in their emergency rooms — sometimes for several hours or multiple days — as they scramble to open additional intensive care beds for the wave of seriously ill people streaming through their doors, according to internal numbers shared with NBC News and ProPublica.
At the same time, the region’s 12 busiest hospitals are increasingly telling emergency responders that they cannot safely accept new patients, at a rate nearly three times that of a year ago, according to data reviewed by reporters.
Topic: US News
Tags: Covid-19 Texas Greg Abbott Hospital Overcrowding