Texas hospitals in danger of being overwhelmed as coronavirus surges

• In Texas and elsewhere, people remain free to move around and thus keep spreading the virus.

What they're saying: Austin Mayor Steve Adler told the Austin American-Statesman yesterday that the city's hospitals could be overwhelmed in the "next 10 days to two weeks."

• The San Antonio Express-News reported that San Antonio's hospitals could be overrun in a week or two, with coronavirus hospitalizations rising by 55% in that area's trauma service region over the last week.
• In the Rio Grande Valley, 10 of 12 hospitals had already reached capacity by Saturday.

The bottom line: "Like New York City in March, the Houston hospitals are experiencing a steep rise in caseloads that is filling their beds, stretching their staffing, creating a backlog in testing and limiting the availability of other medical services," the New York Times reported over the weekend.

• Health care workers are falling sick, and hospitals are struggling to replace supplies.
• However, doctors have learned more about how to treat patients since March. And so far, Houston patients are younger, healthier and not as sick as New York's.