In open letter, Bell County leaders warn hospitals overwhelmed with unvaccinated COVID-19 patients

BELL COUNTY, Texas (KWTX) - Five leaders in Bell County penned an open letter to residents to remind them health care workers in the area are “exhausted” and local medical facilities paused elective surgeries as unvaccinated COVID-19 patients fill hospital beds.

Bell County Judge David Blackburn, Killeen Mayor Jose Segerra, Temple Mayor Timothy Davis, Harker Heights Mayor Spencer Smith, and Belton Mayor Wayne Carpenter signed the letter.

“Our hospitals have been full and working to capacity,” the letter begins, “Our health care workers are exhausted.”

“Why?” the letter asks.

“Because COVID19 patients have filled beds. Beds that would otherwise be available for those in need of hospitalization ... like someone who has had a stroke, or a heart attack, or in a car accident,” the letter answered.

The leaders said the circumstances are “tragic” but “entirely preventable.”

According to the letter, 93 percent of COVID19 patients hospitalized in the largest health care provider in Bell County are unvaccinated. The letter further states 96 percent of the COVID19 patients in ICU are unvaccinated.

“The data is not from the CDC or from the State. It’s data from Bell County hospitals. It’s your family, your friends, your neighbors,” the letter states.

The county leaders urged residents to get vaccinated. “It’s going to take all of us working together to beat COVID-19. Let’s do it,” they said.

Mayor Segarra told News 10 the City of Killen’s recent push to get more people vaccinated is not working as planned. Segarra said that when the city organizes drive-through clinics, they see more people getting tested for COVID-19 but not getting vaccinated.

“If they would’ve gotten vaccinated, we could have see those numbers drop, which would make room (at hospitals) for other emergencies people have,” Segarra said.

READ THE FULL LETTER BELOW:

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