Covid surge: Erath County gets 108 new cases in past week; Texas Health Resources issues statement.
Erath County is not immune from the surge in new Covid cases raging across North Texas.
On Monday, Stephenville’s health authority Dr. Kelly Doggett reported 108 new cases in the past week, bringing the total number of active cases to 210 and 13 local hospitalizations.
“Everyone has to make their own decision about getting vaccinated,” Dr. Doggett told Beneath the Surface News. “For those considering it, I’d tell them that it’s been proven that the benefits of getting vaccinated outweigh the risks.
“For those that don’t get vaccinated, I’d ask them to follow CDC guidelines regarding mitigation techniques including wearing a mask around others when possible and maintain social distancing and good hand hygiene.
“I don’t think that’s too much to ask during a raging pandemic. If we continue to have low vaccination rates and do nothing to mitigate the spread of Covid, it will get worse.”
Meanwhile, Gov. Greg Abbott has asked hospitals to postpone elective medical procedures to free up hospital capacity for Covid patients.
Texas is also requesting healthcare workers from other states to help with the surge.
I reached out to Texas Health Resources this morning to ask if there were any plans to halt elective surgeries in Stephenville.
This is the hospital’s response:
“COVID-19 is impacting each of our hospitals differently with the current surge, depending on the infection rates in the communities they serve. Texas Health Stephenville continues to monitor operations daily and is making adjustments as necessary.
“Rural counties like Erath are experiencing the current surge of the delta variant more seriously than before. Vaccination against COVID-19 is the best way to stay out of the hospital.
“Doing our part with vaccines and wearing masks will lessen the number of COVID patients in our hospitals, which means we can care for unexpected medical events like heart attacks and accidents. We owe it to our neighbors and community to get vaccinated and wear a mask.”
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