SAN ANTONIO — As the number of those getting sick with the novel coronavirus continue to rise, San Antonio and other COVID-19 hotspots in Texas will be receiving some much-needed aid from the state, as the result of a "newly formed partnership" between state and federal military agencies.
Citing the need to "better meet the needs of Texas across the state," a release from Gov. Greg Abbott's office states that more than 1,200 service members from the Texas National Guard and U.S. military branches will be heading to hospitals in Houston, San Antonio, Del Rio and the Rio Grande Valley, which is mired in its own drastic surge in coronavirus-related deaths.
It's unclear exactly how many of the 1,200 will be heading to Bexar County, where nearly 300 residents have died from COVID-19-related complications as of Thursday. But some of them are medical professionals with the U.S. Army.
"By partnering with the active duty and reserve compeonent, we will be able to provide this much-needed support and relief tot he Texas civilian healthcare workers who have been working tirelessly to care for the people of our great state," Tracy Norris, current adjutant general for the Texas National Guard, is quoted as saying in the release.
Across the Lone Star State, nearly 370,000 Texans have been confirmed to have the coronavirus. More than 4,700 have lost their lives to it as the pandemic continues.