Virus surge visible across Texas: 'The tsunami is here'

[TomCADem]

Source: MSN

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — Urgent calls for field hospitals. Cars lined up for hours at drive-thru testing centers. Bars boarded up and grocery stores enforcing masks.

Texas today resembles the state in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic. Except now, the outbreak is far worse.

Records for COVID-19-related deaths and hospitalizations are set almost daily and Texas, the state that embarked on one of America’s fastest reopenings, is in retreat. Republican Gov. Greg Abbott, who on Friday extended a statewide disaster order first issued in March, is now telling the public to brace for what’s ahead.

“Things will get worse,” Abbott told Lubbock television station KLBK. “The worst is yet to come as we work our way through that massive increase in people testing positive.”

Read more: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/virus-surge-visible-across-texas-the-tsunami-is-here/ar-BB16AW1Q?ocid=msedgntp

[Squinch]

1. Shocked. Shocked, I tell you.

[machoneman]

34. Shocked...that gambling is going one here. Great old movie line that fits here!

Gamble with the virus and you lose, Abbott!

[Paladin]

2. Fuck you Greg Abbott. Fuck you Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick.

This is your fault. You encouraged your half-witted supporters to pack the bars and beaches with no protection whatsoever, and they spread it to their families, and we're off to the plague races. Rot in hell, both of you.

[area51]

5. +1 n/t

[dalton99a]

7. +1. Abbott actively sabotaged efforts by local authorities to enforce mask orders.

[LisaL]

21. And Patrick was claiming

lots of grandparents are willing to sacrifice themselves for the sake of the economy.

[tanyev]

22. Funny how he was going to speak to the GOP convention in Houston virtually.

And not ha ha funny.

[LisaL]

23. I guess he decided he didn't want to sacrifice himself after all.

It's other grandparents that should be making sacrifices.

[Demovictory9]

51. How is that not attempted murder?

[ananda]

16. Both Abbott and Patrick should be forced to resign.

They are a disgrace.

[McCamy Taylor]

40. +2

[Initech]

50. +1000000000000000000

[Bernardo de La Paz]

3. Stupidity kills. . . . nt

[dalton99a]

4. What happens when your governor is a Trump ass-licker

On Friday, Texas surpassed 10,000 hospitalized patients for the first time, capping a week of grim markers that also saw the state exceed 10,000 new cases in a single day. And it has been the deadliest week of the pandemic in Texas, with 95 new deaths reported Friday.

“Several months ago, I warned of a potential tsunami if we did not take this more seriously,” said Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez, the top official in one of the largest counties on the Texas-Mexico border. Since Monday, at least 31 people there have died due to COVID-19 — more than in Houston or San Antonio.

“The tsunami is here,” he said.

The crush of patients at border hospitals is one alarming new sight in Texas. In rural Starr County, which has one hospital and no intensive care unit, County Judge Eloy Vera said Friday that doctors were down to two ventilators and that the local health director was calling around the country looking for places to send their most severe virus patients. “There aren't any hospitals in Texas that would take them, so he was looking at maybe sending them to New York. It's bad,” Vera said.

He said the county is also seeking a refrigerated trailer to store the dead because the local funeral home already had seven or eight bodies waiting to be processed — more than it could handle at one time.

[Bernardo de La Paz]

6. Red vs Blue states

[groundloop]

8. And this was SO preventable.... if only we'd have had some leadership in Feb. and March

If our country had had some reasonable leadership in February and March we'd be through this already, much like most of Europe. And hearing morons complaining about being asked to wear a mask into stores just pisses me off to no end.

[central scrutinizer]

11. There are success stories in Thailand, Vietnam, Japan, South Korea

As well. Citizens who believe in science and realize that everyone has to cooperate. Universal mask wearing. My friend in Japan is back teaching in her second grade classroom with her students. My friend in Thailand has a booming restaurant. It could be like that here but we’re so fucked.

[dalton99a]

14. +1. Taiwan never closed its schools

[patphil]

9. Now they're beginning to experience what New York went through.

Governor Abbott is the personification of incompetence...a true Trumpie.

[keithbvadu2]

10. But Abbot said TX had plenty of hospital beds to handle the situation.

But Abbot said TX had plenty of hospital beds to handle the situation.

[Major Nikon]

37. He also said masks shouldn't be mandatory

And then promptly proceeded to nullify enforcement in areas where masks were mandated. This is stupidity on a level which should be criminal. The whole state needs to drive the GOP out once and for all.

[Stuart G]

12. Today...Florida released incredible news..7000 now in hospital due to COVID 19

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10142535129

YES, The same thing is coming to Texas...in a few weeks.....Is Texas shutting down?..Is everyone in Texas wearing a mask and taking precautions?..If not, the exact same thing is coming to Texas..

[iemitsu]

27. 7000 covid cases in the hospital in Florida

and another 32000 covid positive cases that are hospitalized for "other cases".

[Lonestarblue]

13. Texas was doing fine until Abbott forced the state to reopen.

Abbott should be recalled for irresponsible behavior endangering the lives of Texans. Here’s an article from The Guardian that describes the actions that officials in Starr County (near San Antonio) had taken to control the virus successfully and then what happened when Abbott forced early reopening—all to please Trump and to stop the loss of sales tax revenue. I sure hope voters remember in 2022 that it was Abbott whose decisions caused so many deaths in 2020.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jul/10/texas-starr-county-covid-19-model-greg-abbott

[Blues Heron]

15. Abbot needs to go to jail for this - this is fucking murder

He sabotaged public health safety measures and people died from that.

[abqtommy]

17. I'm reminded of a Japanese phrase I found in the book Variable Star by Robert Heinlein and

Spider Robinson: "Ai Toju So".

[cstanleytech]

18. Every death due to the virus is the fault of the Republican party. nt

[virgogal]

20. Nonsense.

[cstanleytech]

24. What party is in the White House? Republican.

What party with the majority control in the Senate had a justifiable reason to remove said incompetent in the White House but refused in order to shoehorn more conservative Republicans into office as federal judges? Republican.

[Javaman]

25. Then please explain how it's not all their fault

You my proceed, senator!

[RandiFan1290]

38. In another thread

this poster was arguing that is was the fault of Democratic governors.

[Lars39]

28. Educate yourself...

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/apr/03/trump-scrapped-pandemic-early-warning-program-system-before-coronavirus

[paleotn]

32. They were warned in rather stark terms....

NYC's debacle was plain for all to see. So was the disaster in Italy and Spain. We know far more about this virus than we did in March. How to mitigate its spread. And yet, Republican governors did exactly the opposite of what should have been done. And people are dying because of it. Republicans own these deaths and we will make sure they pay for them.

[Turbineguy]

42. If we had the same level of competence as Germany

We would have had about 34,000 deaths at this point based on population size. But yeah, the rest belong to the Republicans.

[hadEnuf]

43. The Republican party started the revolt against wearing masks. They have pushed COVID-19 as being a

hoax. That's the real nonsense.

[SunSeeker]

30. Yup, that has become clear to anyone paying attention. nt

[sure why not]

19. Texas & Florida have NO CONSUMER PROTECTION

[Javaman]

26. Oh yay... I live in Austin

😢

[Squinch]

35. Are you able to isolate? Are things closing down?

[Javaman]

44. I've been working from home and isolating since mid march😬

Things are not closing like they did back in March. Many things are still open at 50%. But masks are now required. They mayor had a nonsense meeting yesterday to say that even though we have reached the level of a stage 5 shut down, they want to wait and see how things are going before they do that. Aka they want to see if masks only work. They won’t. Because while this is Austin, it’s still Texas. And Texas is never in a short supply of stupid. So nothing will change and things will get worse and they will then have to force a shut because hospitals will be fucked like they are in Houston now.

The mayor is a dem btw.

I have never been a fan of mayor Adler. I think he’s kind of a halfwit.we haven’t had a real Dem mayor since Kirk Watson.

[Squinch]

45. Just finished talking to my cousin in Houston who is furious about the

stupidity. She said she has demographics envy for the blue state where I live and where we both grew up.

Hang in there. Let us know how you are doing.

[Javaman]

47. Demographic envy. I hear that

🙁

[roamer65]

29. Alan Grayson was right.

They want you to DIE. That’s Repuke health care for you.

[paleotn]

31. heartbraking for the innocent....

Those who took this seriously and are now collateral damage from political stupidity. For the stupid people, not one ounce of sympathy from me. Blind political theology literally kills. And the virus still doesn't give a shit what any of us think.

[Maxheader]

33. So the cells are all over the state.

Vs when it was pretty much localized at rest homes? And

spread from there. .. ...all the wingers share the responsibility.

[warmfeet]

36. No one could have predicted this, right?

[UCmeNdc]

39. Live by the Trump corruption, Die by the Trump corruption!

[AwakeAtLast]

41. My sister lives in Austin

I'm calling her a lot more often. Her husband is diabetic.

[getagrip_already]

46. Wake up TX - "not as bad as desantos"- "not as bad as florida" - is not good enough........

While florida man is not in any danger of losing his corona, texas man has nothing to brag about.

Science is important. Public education is critical. Health care is essential.

Oh look, you have the opportunity to improve all 3.

[Champp]

48. Blame Republican malLeadership

From top to bottom, Republican "leaders" have failed America, and caused thousands of needless deaths, and untold suffering.

[hamsterjill]

49. I'm in San Antonio and it's really scary.

I am isolating as much as possible and I feel very grateful to be able to do that, but there ARE times when I have to go out.

What's so scary for all of us in these states is that this did NOT have to happen like this. The Republicans have put money over human life (no surprise there, I suppose), and are doing nothing to stop the spread.

Texas needs to be closed down immediately, but Abbott is too busy kissing Trump's ass to worry about his citizens. I know two people who have died and I hold the Republican leadership, including Trump, responsible.

Please stay safe yourselves, and if you can spare a prayer, a good thought, some positive light, etc., please send it our way and to the way of the other states so badly affected. Thank you.