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EDINBURG, Texas - Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez and Hidalgo County Commissioner Ellie Torres on Monday hosted a roundtable about COVID-19 with healthcare and hospital leaders from across the county.

Included on the panel was Dr. John Krouse, dean of the UT-Rio Grande Valley School of Medicine. Check out the Rio Grande Guardian website to read Dr. Krouse\\u2019s remarks in full.

\\u201cAs you know, on Sunday we reported over 400 cases that tested positive for this virus and we\\u2019ve never seen these numbers before. The numbers continue to escalate, it seems like every day,\\u201d Judge Cortez said, kicking off the event.

\\u201cUnfortunately, I have had some friends and acquaintances that have received this virus and are very seriously ill. They have told me they would not wish this on their worst enemy. It has been a very, very, painful process.\\u201d

Cortez pointed out that when stay-at-home orders were put in place at the start of the pandemic, one of the goals was to ensure local hospitals were not overwhelmed with patients. \\u201cToday, we find ourselves close to reaching capacity,\\u201d he said.\\xa0

Cortez said he wrote to Gov. Greg Abbott, the state\\u2019s healthcare director and emergency management coordinator ast Friday seeking help for local hospitals. \\u201cTo my happy surprise they responded very quickly. At least two hospital groups will receive support,\\u201d Cortez said.

Cortez added: \\u201cWe are in this thing together. We are going to solve this by working together.\\u201d

This podcast includes the comments of Judge Cortez, Dean Krouse and all the hospital leaders present at the roundtable discussion.\\xa0

To read the new stories and watch the news videos of the Rio Grande Guardian International News Service go to www.riograndeguardian.com.