WAPO:Gov. Abbott is hoping out-of-state nurses will come wear the masks Texans don't have to

[lindysalsagal]

Gov. Greg Abbott is hoping out-of-state nurses will come wear the masks Texans don’t have to
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2021/08/10/texas-abbott-virus-masks/

By Philip Bump National correspondent Today at 10:26 a.m. EDT

Across the state of Texas, about 90 percent of beds in intensive care units are currently occupied, according to data collected by the Department of Health and Human Services. More than 50 hospitals have no ICU capacity at all, including hospitals near the border with Louisiana, which has been hit hard in the current wave of coronavirus infections. Austin has only a handful of ICU beds open; it has never seen as many ICU patients with covid-19 as it is seeing now.

It’s a moment of crisis, prompting Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to announce several steps aimed at reducing the strain on the state’s health-care system. The state will open infusion centers to help patients avoid the need to be hospitalized, for example, and will work with staffing agencies to bring health-care workers to the state to help with staffing shortages.

Those full ICU beds in Texas mean that actual car-accident victims are less likely to get immediate treatment. Those unmasked Texans make it more likely that the virus will spread among the unvaccinated, including those who can’t get a vaccine because they are too young or because their health is compromised.

But for Abbott the alternative is having Sean Hannity disparage him for three minutes, so it’s apparently not really much of a choice.

[Maru Kitteh]

1. This nurse to Abbott: Oh HALE no.

[ismnotwasm]

2. We are short in Washington state, and not because of Covid

In fact, the entire west coast corridor is short nurses. (I am on the staffing committee for my facility)

We are using those travelers too.

They will have to pay a LOT I think.

[roamer65]

3. Solution.

Put all the infected willfully unvaxxed in old vacant warehouses, parking garages, tents, etc, etc.

Very little nursing staff and food, water and a cot. Basically a quarantine facility.

[Murphyb849]

4. Hell to the no from this nurse who worked insane OT to help last year

But am not going to do it because this governor and his Trumplican cult want to kill people. I have long covid now it is a horrible virus and Delta is so much worse. Healthcare personnel, immunosuppressed and children are collateral damage to these Trumpers.

[GPV]

8. I am so sorry. :( I hope they find a way to treat long Covid.

[UTUSN]

5. His hypocrisy is *deep* - he got $15 million for his paralysis but got cap of $250K for others

The reason he is in a wheelchair is that a rotted tree fell on him while he was a college student jogging. He sued the property owner and landscaping business and got his cash, fine. When he went into politics he got the cap put on for everybody else's damages like his.

But he smiles and smiles (as Hamlet said) and still is a villain.

Link to tweet

Link to tweet

[Ray Bruns]

12. Rand Paul just stated he is not a career politician.

HA!HA!HA!HA!

[Hugin]

6. I guess he could get the privately funded National Guard troops from South Dakota to help out...

But, that would mean pulling them off of the border. Maybe if he out bids the car dealer from CA.

[DemocraticPatriot]

7. YOU made the bed, Gov. Abbott...

Now lie in it.

[Roisin Ni Fiachra]

10. Heck, there's so much mean and stupid in Texas that I vowed never to set foot in the

state again 40 years ago. If I were a healthcare worker, no amount of money could tempt me to go there. It's one thing to want to help sick people, but a whole 'nother animal to go help sick people in a place where mean, stupid Republicans would try to deliberately infect you in the name of their lord and savior, the orange Captain Eeeeeew!

Unsafe under any conditions.

That Texas would be running out of healthcare workers and hospital beds during a deadly plague makes perfect sense to me.

[Ray Bruns]

11. Hey Abbott

GFY

[Paladin]

13. Rot in hell, Greg Abbott. (nt)