'Ticking time bomb:' Lack of beds slows Delhi's virus fight

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Many Luzerne County voters already have requested mail-in ballots again for the November general election

By Tessa Weinberg 
 FORT WORTH, Texas — Hospitalizations of patients infected with the novel coronavirus have hit a record high in Texas for the third day in a row.
 Wednesday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported 2,153 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19 — an increase of 97 patients from Tuesday when 2,056 were hospitalized and 218 more than the 1,935 people hospitalized Monday.
 Hospitalizations have been on an upward trend since late May, and have increased by nearly 42.5% since the 1,511 patients hospitalized on Memorial Day. Before Monday, the previous record for hospitalizations was on May 5 when 1,888 patients were hospitalized.
 As the state reopens and businesses increase the number of customers allowed in person, Gov. Greg Abbott has stressed that hospitalizations and the rate of positive cases are some of the key metrics he is assessing.
 John Wittman, a spokesman for Abbott, wrote in email Wednesday that “every Texan who needs access to a hospital bed will have access to a hospital bed.”
 The state has 13,645 available beds, 1,508 intensive care unit beds and 5,934 ventilators available, and Wittman noted the state has “the ability to surge capacity in regions across the state if necessary.”
 In Tarrant County, hospitalizations jumped from 178 COVID-19 patients Tuesday to 216 Wednesday, according to the county’s dashboard. Of the hospitals reporting to the county, there are 1,966 beds and 436 ventilators available. Hospitalizations have begun to rise after they had declined throughout May — when they exceeded over 230 COVID-19 patients at times.
 Tap the map to see information on the availability of hospital beds, ICU beds and ventilators in the different Trauma Service Areas in Texas. The data is provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services and is updated daily.
 “Since Texas opened on May 1, testing has increased by 210 percent, the doubling time has gone from 20 days to 36 days, and the state continues to have one of the lowest death rates in the nation,” Wittman wrote.
 The state’s rate of positive cases has also been on the rise since late May, and Abbott told KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi on Tuesday that the rate “remains under control,” despite an increase in cases from hot spots like prisons, nursing homes and meat packing plants.
 “It’s important that we continue to begin to open up business, but also it’s important that we maintain control of the spread of COVID-19,” Abbott said.
 Public health experts have warned the virus is likely to spread as businesses reopen, in addition to recent protests spurred by the death of George Floyd where hundreds gathered to decry police brutality.
 Abbott also told KRIS that he is worried there could be an increase in positive cases in the wake of large protests across the state.
 “We’re talking about five to ten thousand people, sometimes even more than that, gathered together in ways in which they are so close to each other — sometimes without masks and other things in which they’re not following safe distancing practices,” Abbott said. “So it is almost the perfect situation for the spread of COVID-19. It’ll be several more days before we are able to determine whether or not it has led to an increase.”
 Public health officials in Austin have recommended all residents who participated in protests get tested for COVID-19, even if they’re not showing symptoms. Tarrant County officials said they are working to add attendance of large gatherings as a criteria that would allow residents to be tested.
 The state still has yet to consistently meet its goal of conducting 30,000 tests a day. Abbott announced Monday that the state will work to ramp up testing in cities that saw large protests and in minority communities that have been disproportionately affected by the virus.
 Abbott has previously raised the possibility of reinstating measures like temporary bans on elective medical procedures as an option the state could take to free up hospital capacity.
 Meanwhile, the third phase of Texas’ reopening of businesses was announced last week. Most businesses can operate at 50% capacity, with restaurants allowed to increase their occupancy limit to 75% Friday. Under the third phase, large outdoor gatherings are also permitted.
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Texas sees record number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 for third day in a row