Texas crisis: Abbott appeals for out-of-state help against COVID-19

Gov. Greg Abbott appealed for out-of-state help Monday to fight the third wave of COVID-19 in Texas.

The request came as a county-owned hospital in Houston raised tents to accommodate their COVID-19 overflow. Private hospitals in the county already were requiring their staff to be vaccinated against the coronavirus.

Meantime, the Dallas school district announced Monday that it would require students and staff to wear face masks starting Tuesday. The Houston school district already announced a mask mandate for its students and staff later this week if its board approves.

The highly contagious delta variant is fueling the wave.

Abbott has directed the Texas Department of State Health Services to use staffing agencies to find additional medical staff from beyond the state’s borders as the delta wave began to overwhelm its present staffing resources. He also has sent a letter to the Texas Hospital Association to request that hospitals postpone all elective medical procedures voluntarily.
— Read on apnews.com/article/business-health-education-coronavirus-pandemic-368eb9eb57b1d3b1a473d4414c42a522

This is a developing situation..