AUSTIN (Talk1370.com) -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott suspended elective surgeries at hospitals in four counties across the state Thursday, in an effort to ensure hospital bed availability for COVID-19 patients.
The order applies to Travis County, as well as Bexar, Dallas, and Harris Counties - all areas that have seen a sharp increase in cases and hospitalizations in the past few weeks.
"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," Abbott said in a statement. "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."
The order directs all hospitals in the four counties to immediately postpone all surgeries and procedures that are not immediately medically necessary, to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the life of a patient who without immediate performance of the surgery or procedure would be at risk for serious adverse medical consequences or death, as determined by the patient's physician.
Abbott's office indicated other counties may be added or removed from the list at a later date, as the number of cases across the state continues to rise.
In a statement Wednesday, the three major hospital operators in the Austin area - Ascension Seton, Baylor Scott & White, and St. David's Healthcare - said they were currently at 71% capacity of their combined 2,470 staffed beds. The groups are licensed for a total of 3,250 beds, but would need to bring in staff, supplies, and equipment to surge to that level. Intensive care beds are also near 70 percent occupied.
