Texas judge says parents whose kids need an ICU bed will have to 'wait for another child to die'

• A Texas judge told parents their child will have to wait until another dies before getting an ICU bed.

• If your child "needs an ICU bed, or more likely if they have COVID and need an ICU bed, we don't have one," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said.

• Hospitals are overwhelmed in Texas, with COVID-19 cases continuing to climb.

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A Texas judge on Friday delivered a grim warning to parents whose child might need an ICU bed.

"Your child will wait for another child to die" before getting one, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said.

"If your child's in a car wreck, if your child has a congenital heart defect," Jenkins said, "and needs an ICU bed, or more likely if they have COVID and need an ICU bed, we don't have one."

For adults, the hospital situation is not any better.

COVID-19 cases are overwhelming doctors in Texas so much that in one hospital, a man who's been shot six times last Saturday has been waiting for required surgery for a week now.

Jenkins also tweeted on Friday that there were only 17 ICU beds in all of Dallas County available for adults as of August 13, according to data from the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

The judge's stern warning came as the Delta variant continues to surge in Texas. More than 10,000 Texans have been hospitalized as of August 10, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. Compared to the past week, that figure reflects an increase of nearly 3,000 patients.

In June, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued an executive order barring mask mandates and vaccine passports. Businesses that violate the order will receive fines of up to $1,000. The order has been defied by many schools and businesses.

Jenkins himself has directly challenged the order and won. School districts and some Dallas County businesses are currently able to require masks. Abbott has filed an appeal with the Texas Supreme Court to uphold his original order.

Health officials are still urging all Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, especially as the Delta variant continues to spike in various parts of the country. About 52% of the US population is fully vaccinated, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.

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