Mobile Isolation Tents Are Here to Help Lubbock Hospitals During COVID-19 Surge

On Tuesday, November 10th, the City of Lubbock announced that due to the recent surge in novel coronavirus cases and hospitalizations, mobile medical tents will be put up outside of University Medical Center and Covenant Health.

The first medical tent arrived the same day as the announcement in front of Covenant Health, and the second tent will arrive at University Medical Center later in the week on Thursday, November 12th.

These tents are said to provide additional needed beds to help meet the increase in hospitalizations that the Lubbock area has seen in the past month.

Both hospitals are continuing to implement surge plans to expand capacity to meet the current needs of the region.

Every day since October 19th, Trauma Service Area B, which includes Lubbock and multiple surrounding counties, has had a hospitalization rate of more than 15 percent. Texas Governor Greg Abbott's order says that any Trauma Service Area with a COVID-19 hospitalization rate of over 15 percent for seven consecutive days will undergo various forms of rollbacks for local businesses, including but not limited to closure and a capacity reduction.

These restrictions will not be lifted until the area experiences a hospitalization rate below 15 percent for seven consecutive days.

Trauma Service Area A, which includes Amarillo, has also been the target of higher COVID-19 hospitalization rates.