BEAUMONT, Texas — A new COVID-19 record has been reached in Southeast Texas. 705 new cases of the coronavirus were recorded across the eight-county region Friday night.
Jefferson County accounted for 529 of those new cases. As COVID-19 cases and hospitalization rates continue to climb, many doctors can't believe we're at this point.
“These are unforeseen times. This is not a normal mode of operation from a doctor standpoint, nurses, or even hospitals,” said Dr. Mosnthi Levine.
Doctors like Levine feel let down.
“We're disappointed, obviously that we're at this position, and that was seeing all these cases and that the hospitals are flooded with all these sick patients,” Levine said.
Friday was another record-breaking day as 268 people are currently hospitalized along with the 705 new cases reported.
“Now we know that it can get worse, and it can get worse in a hurry,” Levine said.
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Southeast Texas school districts aren’t exempt from the uptick in cases.
Lumberton Independent School District will be closed all next week after staff shortages caused by COVID-19.
“Let's take some precautions. We still have parents not wanting their kids to wear masks which I just, I don't understand,” Levine said.
Levine foresees more schools shutting down.
“Yeah, that can easily happen no question,” Levine said. “I mean if you don't have the teachers, you don't have the substitutes and you can't have class so you know it seems like the schools and the school systems are willing to get to that point because it seems like they don't want to shut it down.
He said he wonders how much worse things have to become for people to realize how serious COVID-19 is.
“It's got to get to kind of this critical point where, you know hospitals can't accept patients, hospitals shut down, school systems shut down,” Levine said.