Texas Medical Center Stops Reporting COVID-19 Data
In an alarming turn of events, management of the Texas Medical Center in Houston has halted the reporting of real time COVID-19 data. They haven’t reported new data since Thursday. That’s right, folks; as COVID-19 new case rate goes almost vertical and ICUs are being overrun, TMC has halted real time data reporting. Why, you ask? Apparently, the heads of TMC cut a deal with Greg Abbott. As we know, Abbott awoke from his Stupid Coma on Thursday and shut down all elective surgeries in the state to relieve the load on hospitals in the state. He also ordered bars throughout the state to close again after he had stupidly allowed them to reopen starting in May.
Doctors within TMC have been ringing the alarm bells for weeks as new case rate increased. Leadership also provided public warnings about capacity, reporting that they were going to exceed surge ICU capacity by the first week of July. Late Thursday, though, TMC management reversed themselves, saying they had plenty of capacity. What happened? I’m hearing that Abbott built in a huge loophole in his shutdown policy to allow elective surgeries in TMC and affiliates as long as the hospitals have “enough capacity”. Apparently “enough capacity” is pretty damn vague. Methodist Hospital even sent out a “don’t worry, be happy” post on Thursday that they had plenty of room and elective surgeries (translated “very profitable”. As I’m sure is a complete coincidence, TMC simultaneously halted realtime reporting of COVID-19 case rates and ICU capacity utilization in Houston. Hmm.
All of this is going on as ICU capacity at TMC and other is overrun. TMC hospitals are even moving adult patients into Texas Children’s hospital, turning kids away. It’s like we’ve fallen down the rabbit hole into the Greg Abbott version of Trumpland. I continue to shake my head at the willful ignorance and magical thinking coming from our elected leadership. It’s an alternate reality where Abbott/Patrick/Paxton & Company run us into a brick wall at 100 miles an hour only for them to say, “Oops, that didn’t work.” My jaw is aching from dragging on the floor.
Jesus.
When the police start shooting legislators, that’s hope for the future…
1Isn’t this what Trump and Republicans accused China of doing?
2Lying about COVID?
Texas is late to the party. Last week, Trump clone DeSantis quit reporting new cases immediately following a week in which Florida had beat its previous record [from the day before] seven times in a row.
The logic is irrefutable, from DeSantis’ point of view: if no new data is being reported, obviously there is no new data to report.
3Standard operating procedure for conservatives aka “tail wags dog.” Recall how many times Republicons without the benefit of medical training have said really st00pid thing regarding reproductive health care for women. At the national level we having the Toddler-in-Thief* who claimed to have better military knowledge than the generals now claiming to know more than the doctors ‘leading’ the governors too st00pid to ignore the ***king moron* while allowing medical professionals to guide pandemic policy.
Just a prediction, fwiw, but am seriously anticipating that beyond all the closures that happened and didn’t happen, the next one necessary if wave one of COVID-19 is not to become a crest to wave two while wave three rolls over the first 2 waves will be a dead serious closing of state borders.
New vocabulary word for the media. Pariah. That would be residents of AZ, FL, and TX entering another state.
fwiw After the 6/4 NV casino openings, we may not need to “guard” our borders. The numbers are not looking promising that it wasn’t a premature re-opening, so word should spread fast that NV isn’t exactly a tourist mecca.
We’ll be OK. We had expected this result, so we’re prepared to hunker down 120 days, easily. Hey. We already did 90. Unlike those punk Sovereign ‘Citizens’ who folded after their first weekend without a trip to their local bar. Yeah. Those guys with the lifetime supply of ammunition, dried beans, and whatever ‘survival’ packs they were sold between religious and QVC hustlers.
4I think DeSantis is banking on Trump to lose.
He isn’t up for election till 2 /2 years from now. You know he’s praying Biden will have cleaned up the mess by then and Floridians will have forgotten all about it.
Given our history, he might well be right. Assuming Trump loses.
5As my doctor explained it, outpatient surgical centers are still allowed to conduct procedures while hospitals themselves are not. So, for example, Bailey Square Medical Center in Austin can still conduct the same operations that (perhaps) St. David’s cannot.
6Well, that doesn’t stink like a barrel of rotten fish, does it? Everything’s peachy-keen because if you can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. Right? It’s the principle by which King Donald operates, so it must work!
7When is someone going to prosecute those bozos for practicing medicine without a license?
8This whole approach of: “If I close my eyes, I can’t see the monster that’s about to eat me” is just as insane as Louie…
9Calling it ‘magical thinking’ somehow suggests mere fecklessness, while in fact it is ‘vicious, self-interested thinking’. Call it what it is.
10Soon everyone will know someone who DIED from this – Friday we had exceeded 120,000 deaths. I lost a cousin in a nursing home, one of my friends lost a brother and a sister. It will take longer than til 2022 to forget the lousy job the Goobers On Parade have done nationally and closer to home!
11Hmmmm…. Pretty soon they’re going to outlaw pregnancy tests, because if there’s no tests, no one is preggers anymore! Therefore, no more abortions! Wi-wi-win!!! Nah, too outlandish, they would Never do anything like that, would they?!?
12Bring Out Your Dead.
13Was just watching Mike nothing but bullshit Pence in Face the Nation talking about the Coronavirus. I watched until I was in the verge of dry heaving. First question was is he concerned about the alarming increase in cases in Texas, Florida, Arizona. His answer was they are monitoring it very closely but what Americans need to know is how incredible his and DUHtrumpfs leadership and ingenuity have been during the pandemic. At that point I was heading to the bathroom. I didn’t see how he answered a question about his recommendation on people wearing masks. I can only imagine his tap dance. Another day, another stupid statement.
14Different subject, but I hope we discuss the lies from the administration that elpresidente and dumber never heard about his own intelligence people’s report on Russia putting bounties on our troops. They were too busy worrying about racist statues than actual soldiers in today’s war.
Their web site is now updated to the 26th.
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