The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council is asking North Texans to observe five minutes of silence at noon on Sept. 3 to "reflect on the loss of life and the difficulties caused by the pandemic in Texas."
"This is our way of offering thanks to our physicians, clinicians, healthcare support staff, first responders, and hospitals for their tremendous efforts to prevent and treat COVID-19," said W. Stephen Love, president/CEO of DFWHC.
Love said the hospital council also hopes the five minutes of silence helps to let people know of the ongoing danger presented by COVID-19.
"At this very moment, our hospitals are filling up with patients and people are dying," Love said. "Our healthcare workforce has been dealing with this pandemic for a very long time."
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During the five minute observance, Love said he hopes people focus on the growing number of Texans who have been killed in the pandemic, the healthcare heroes who have worked for months on end to help those sickened by the virus and, finally, what they can do to help bring about an end to the pandemic.
Medical experts say the fourth wave of the pandemic has become a pandemic of the unvaccinated with the overwhelming majority of hospitalized patients being those who have not been vaccinated.
"If you are unvaccinated, please get vaccinated as soon as possible. They are free and safe," said Love. "We would also like to ask everyone, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, to please wear masks when around other people. We must decrease this present surge."
The hospital council, citing the Texas Department of Health and Human Services, said on Aug. 25 more Texas hospitals were reporting a shortage of ICU beds than at any other time since the pandemic began, with more than 93% of the hospitalized COVID-19 patients unvaccinated.
"We hope everyone will participate in the five minutes of silence as we continue our fight against this very dangerous COVID-19 virus," Love said.
Five minutes of silence is from noon until 12:05 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 3.
