Texas’ top doctors warned Wednesday that Gov. Greg Abbott’s sudden decision to ditch the mask mandate and lift coronavirus restrictions could result in a new surge of COVID-19 infections and deaths, NBC News reports.
And while they now have enough masks, ventilators and emergency room space to treat a new wave of patients, there is an acute shortage of staffers who aren’t already stressed out and exhausted from battling the pandemic for more than a year.
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“We have the capacity to take care of more patients,” Dr. James McDeavitt of the Baylor College of Medicine told NBC News. “We have an ample supply of PPE. That means a lot. The more difficult problem is that while many people in Texas experienced the pandemic in waves, there’s been no respite for front-line health care providers. The biggest issue now is morale. Many health care providers fear this could extend the pandemic.”