By Juan Montoya
She looked long and hard at the number of COVID-19 deaths reported by the county.
On Wednesday, the Cameron County Health Department had reported zero deaths. And she wondered, "what happened to the two COVID-19 deaths of two people I knew?"
And then this morning, the 10 deaths reported by the county were all seniors, and she – fully knowing that some of the dead included people younger – wondered what everyone else in Cameron County is beginning to realize: Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño is implementing a policy of covering up the real crisis at hand and giving the public a false picture of the invisible enemy already inside the gates.
Cameron County reported this morning that the individuals who died overnight were eight females, ages 63, 65, 82, 85, 85, 87, 92, and 93, and two males ages 90 and 92, all residents of The Rio at Fox Hollow.
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Cameron County reported this morning that the individuals who died overnight were eight females, ages 63, 65, 82, 85, 85, 87, 92, and 93, and two males ages 90 and 92, all residents of The Rio at Fox Hollow.
The report, however, is obviously incomplete and doesn't reflect the reality on the ground. Just about everyone now knows – or knew – someone who has tested positive, has been hospitalized, died, or is dying. They pray their family members and friends will survive.
This crisis is all too real and its manifestations include this:
This crisis is all too real and its manifestations include this:
* Hired independent ambulance drivers from out of town sitting and waiting with COVID-19 patient transfers by the fire station next to Valley Regional Hospital on Alton Gloor for hours because all the ICU rooms are full and there is no space for them inside.
*Funeral homes that will not take COVID-19 infected corpses because they fear that it will contaminate their funeral parlors and those families that want to say goodbye to their departed loved ones.
* A hospital that has a mobile 18-wheeler morgue that is filled to capacity and a harried hospital director who is ordering another trailer to store the dead.
* People who desperately need to be tested and – once they fill out the questionnaire and are allowed to take the test – must wait for days for the result, freely mixing with the local population. Should they test positive, can health authorities identify all the contact they have had during the wait?
Cameron County under Treviño seems like a nightmare where death is chasing you and you desperately reach for the door...and it has no handle.
Cameron County under Treviño seems like a nightmare where death is chasing you and you desperately reach for the door...and it has no handle.