Wise County, TX (WBAP/KLIF) – Rural Texas healthcare workers, like those across the nation are feeling the strain of surging COVID omicron variant.
Leanne Jenning, Chief Nursing Officer at Wise Health System, the county’s only hospital said that the hospital’s surge surge capacity was at 100%.
With 32 COVID patients in the small rural system, Jennings says that trying to find beds for new COVID patients is a daily struggle, as well as having adequite staffing.
This week, the hospital got help from 14 state-provided nurses
Elsewhere in rural Texas, ICU capacity in the panhandle was at 68% on Tuesday.
Meantime, the 4th COVID wave has closed more schools and more students, teachers and staff are infected.
Meantime, The Colony Police Chief David Coulon said during a news conference that they have a record number of people out sick with COVID-19 and they are cross-training officers to work in other positions and paying a lot of overtime. He said the relaxing COVID standards is hurting the department.
“Once again, people are relaxing all of their standards but it’s actually hurting us.”
(Copyright 2022 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News. This report contains material from the WFAA-TV)