NUECES COUNTY, Texas — Shocking statistics came out Wednesday from the City-County Health District. Nearly one in three hospital beds in the Coastal Bend has a COVID-19 patient and our local hospitalization rate is now at 31%.
That's more than double what we saw last year at the start of the pandemic when our state was first shutdown. No mandated shutdown has been discussed at this time.
Seven days of 15% of hospital beds with COVID patients used to trigger capacity limits on restaurants and businesses. We're now more than double that at 31%.
Health leaders said we have the fewest number of open hospital beds than at any point in the pandemic. They use the term "skyrocketing" when talking about new cases and hospitalizations.
Health officials are begging people to get vaccinated, mask up in public and social distance.
12 people died from COVID on Wednesday. Of the 12, 10 were unvaccinated, according to city leaders.