Texas officials deny hospitals requests for hundreds of emergency staff to help with COVID surge
State officials are telling hospitals to ask cities and counties for COVID relief funds to pay for needed staff Author: William Joy (WFAA) Updated: 7:36 PM CDT August 2, 2021
FORT WORTH, Texas Texas officials are now denying requests from hospitals for additional staffing as COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations surge across the state.
Hospitals in North Texas have requested 619 clinical support staff to help fill vacancies and emergency needs according to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council (NCTTRAC).
“This delta variant is wreaking havoc in North Texas,” Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council President Steve Love said. “We ve got non-COVID patients. We have COVID patients and frankly, we ve got a very fatigued workforce.”
Why officially confirmed delta variant cases are so low in Travis County
Austin Public Health reported 28 confirmed delta variant cases in Travis County. But the true number is likely much higher. Author: Daranesha Herron (KVUE) Updated: 11:56 AM CDT August 3, 2021
AUSTIN, Texas Experts say the delta variant is more contagious than any other COVID-19 variant.
On Monday, Austin Public Health reported 28 confirmed cases in Travis County. So why is that number so low when we re seeing an average of 365 new cases per day in Travis County?
According to an APH spokesperson, sequencing for the COVID-19 delta variant is limited, which is why the number of officially confirmed cases is low in our area, even if the true number of cases is much higher.
KUT
Officials have not yet announced whether they plan to reopen the alternative care site at the Austin Convention Center, which closed in March. It was set up as a safety net for overflow hospital patients.
The number of beds available at intensive care units in the Austin area is at its lowest point since the pandemic started, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
The number of staffed beds available at ICU units in the 11-county area that includes Austin is fluctuating around 16. That’s 16 ICU beds for 11 counties with more than 2.3 million residents. It was down to only 13 available beds Wednesday. The previous low was 23 beds back in July 2020.
Texas Nurses Overwhelmed By Staffing Shortages And Newest COVID Wave kut.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from kut.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Texas Nurses Overwhelmed By Staffing Shortages And Newest COVID Wave tpr.org - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tpr.org Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.