Dallas County Judge, Mark Thompson, has delivered a stark message regarding the local healthcare situation: “If your child needs critical care, they’ll have to wait for another child to pass away.” While some may view this statement as exaggerated, the surge of COVID-19 cases among children and adolescents as the new school year begins has led to a critical shortage of hospital resources.
Judge Thompson, along with other state leaders, is contesting Governor Greg Smith’s recent executive order that prohibits local authorities from enforcing mask mandates. During a press briefing on August 13, he emphasized the significant dangers posed by not adhering to mask guidelines or getting vaccinated. The scientific community has consistently shown that COVID vaccines are effective in saving lives, and those who previously opted out of vaccination have urged others to get vaccinated before it’s too late.
“In Dallas, we currently have zero ICU beds available for children. This means that if your child is in a serious accident, has a congenital heart condition, or, more likely, contracts COVID and requires an ICU bed, we don’t have one. Your child will wait for another child to die,” Thompson stated. The lack of ICU beds is not confined to Dallas; he noted that the situation is similarly dire in 19 surrounding counties. Consequently, if a child requires immediate care—whether for COVID or another medical emergency—there is a risk that they may not receive timely treatment, as they may need to be transported to facilities farther away.
“Your child may have to be airlifted to a hospital in another city, such as Temple or Oklahoma City, because we simply don’t have the capacity here. And that’s been the case for the last 24 hours,” he explained. The capacity issues extend to adult ICU beds as well, with more than half of Texas hospitals reporting full occupancy.
Across Texas, healthcare workers are laboring under strained conditions as ICU beds continue to fill up. As of August 5, at least 53 hospitals in Texas were entirely out of ICU capacity, affecting both adult and pediatric beds. Approximately 87.1% of all hospital beds in the state are occupied, with 14.1% of patients suffering from severe or life-threatening COVID infections. Dr. Linda Richards, the health authority for Travis County, indicated that patients are remaining hospitalized longer than during previous surges.
“This surge is by far the fastest and most aggressive we’ve encountered. The majority of our hospitalizations involve unvaccinated individuals developing severe illnesses. ICU staff are seeing a younger demographic, and patients are sicker and staying longer, which further strains our hospital resources,” she noted.
It is crucial to wear masks and get vaccinated to help alleviate this crisis.
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In summary, the current situation in Dallas County highlights a critical shortage of ICU beds for children amid rising COVID-19 cases. Judge Mark Thompson’s stark warning underscores the urgent need for masks and vaccinations as hospitals struggle with capacity issues.