Health officials are letting everyone know that COVID cases are being caused by community spread and not from migrants crossing the border or people from other counties coming to the area.

According to the Midland Reporter-Telegram, COVID-19 hospitalizations hit 75 at Midland Memorial Hospital on Thursday, August 12, 2021, that is up from under 10 at the beginning of July.

Midland Health CEO and President Russell Meyers pointed out that the surge is community spread.

“That's a common question we get, how much of this is the result of the border crisis or other factors that extend beyond our own community,” said Meyers. “This is a Midland problem. It is not being driven by people from outside of our own community.”

The highly contagious Delta variant of COVID-19 is the reason for the latest surge in infections with 96% of tests in the area sent to the state laboratory coming back positive for the Delta variant.

The emergency room at Midland Memorial Hospital is where patients have been waiting for beds to come available with the pediatric unit also being filled with an outbreak of RSV, so children have been waiting in the emergency room for beds also.

Because of the lack of rooms available, Midland Memorial Hospital has been denying transfers from other hospitals.

There were well over 100 requests to transfer patients and Midland Memorial Hospital had to deny 90% of those requests.

So to be safe, it is now time to mask up again when you go into public places like the grocery store or a restaurant, of course you take off your mask once you get seated, and stay home unless it is necessary for you to get out and about.

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