The memo by the North Texas Mass Critical Guidelines Task Force was leaked to The Dallas Morning News, which published details of the memo on Thursday.
The memo boiled down to this: Since vaccination vastly improves the chances of survival from COVID-19, a patient’s vaccination status could count as a plus or a strike when determining which patients get ICU beds. It could not be the sole determining factor, however.
The guidelines were designed for if the region goes into a Level 3 crisis stage, which Dr. Robert Fine, co-chair of the task force, told The Dallas Morning News could happen in two weeks. The guidelines themselves are not enforceable, but are generally followed, The Dallas Morning News noted.
Shortly after The Dallas Morning News published its story on the memo, a spokesperson for the task force walked back on the memo.
Dr. Mark Casanova, director of clinical ethics for Baylor University Medical Center, initially told NBC Dallas-Fort Worth on Thursday that the memo was meant to help guide doctors in triaging patients in limited situations.