Texas

Texas Doctors Say It's Too Soon to Scrap Mask Mandate

"I think the governor's decision was premature," one Houston doctor said

NBCUniversal Media, LLC

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.

“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.”

Read the full story on NBCNews.com

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