As new COVID-19 infections stress San Antonio hospitals, the U.S. Army is dispatching 50 personnel to help handle the surge, Texas Public Radio reports.
Local leaders have warned that hospitals could reach full capacity in a matter of days and that they’re prepared to activate a makeshift medical facility at Freeman Coliseum to handle patient overflow.
On Tuesday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Bexar County reached 15,880. A total of local 1,235 coronavirus patients are now under hospital care.
The Army personnel are arriving from the 627th Hospital Center at Fort Carson in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Those include critical care and emergency room nurses, respiratory specialists and support staff, TPR reports.
In April, during the early stages of the pandemic, the Pentagon dispatched military personnel to assist in coronavirus hotspots such as New York and Los Angeles.
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This article appears in Jul 1-14, 2020.
