Officials in Starr County have requested extra medical aid and personnel from the military to treat COVID-19 patients as cases keep climbing in the area.

Starr County Judge Eloy Vera says all 14 COVID-19 patient beds at Starr County Memorial Hospital are full.

The county is hoping to expand their intake of sick patients soon, but are low on staffing. 

"We have more beds that we can open up, however, [we] don't have the personnel," Vera said. "We don’t have any intensivists. We don’t have the nursing. We don’t have the pulmonologist--whatever personnel they need, we just don’t have it to open up more beds.” 

Vera says the county is hoping to hear back from the military by Wednesday. 

Until then, as long as beds are full, the county will transport patients to other hospitals across the Rio Grande Valley.