At this time, hospitals in Tarrant, Collin, Denton counties not affected by Abbott’s latest order to increase hospital capacity
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an Executive Order Thursday morning suspending elective surgeries in four counties to ensure bed availability for COVID-19 patients.
The governor issued the order effective Friday night at 11:59 p.m. for hospitals in Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis counties. The order does not, so far, impact any other North Texas county.
The order was issued after the state set a new high record for COVID-19 hospitalizations for 13 days straight. On Wednesday, the number of COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals reached 4,389. On June 1, the number of people hospitalized in the state for COVID-19 was 1,784.
“As Texas faces a rise in COVID-19 cases, we are focused on both slowing the spread of this virus and maintaining sufficient hospital capacity for COVID-19 patients,” said Abbott. “These four counties have experienced significant increases in people being hospitalized due to COVID-19 and today’s action is a precautionary step to help ensure that the hospitals in these counties continue to have ample supply of available beds to treat COVID-19 patients. As we work to contain this virus, I urge all Texans to do their part to help contain the spread by washing their hands regularly, wearing a mask, and practicing social distancing.”
In the last seven days, Texas has added 29,586 new COVID-19 cases, an average of 4,227 new cases per day.
By Frank Heinz | NBCDFW
Image Credit: Carsten Reisinger / Adobe Stock
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