Dr. Dark on Texas' coronavirus spike: More people have died there 'than those who died during the 9/11 attacks'

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Emergency medicine physician, Dr. Cedric Dark, weighs in on 'America's News HQ.'

Emergency medicine physician Dr. Cedric Dark joined "America's News HQ" Saturday and addressed the coronavirus spike in Texas, comparing it to his experience in New York City during the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

"Yesterday was Texas's deadliest day of this pandemic. Over 100 people died. And I've seen reports that refrigerated trucks are coming to Texas to be able to handle bodies because there are not enough spaces in the morgues," Dark said.

"This is something that I experienced one other time back when I was in medical school, 2001. During 9/11, I actually went to medical school in New York. From my 14th floor I could see down onto the office of the chief medical examiner and I could see rows of refrigerated trucks, a white tarp that carried the bodies of the people that were killed in the collapse of the Twin Towers," he continued.

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"But just to put it in perspective, more people have died in Texas from COVID than those who died during the 9/11 attacks," Dark added.

Dark reacted to reports about a mutation of the novel coronavirus seen around the globe that some believe could make the virus more contagious.

"It just means it's so much easier for the disease to spread. And for more people to get infected. And what that really means is that people need to take this seriously. We need to really make sure that everybody's masking up when they're out in public," Dark said. "People need to socially distance from people that aren't in their homes because if we don't, we're going to lose control of the virus."

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The doctor was asked if masks should be federally mandated, which Dark said shouldn't be the case unless the pandemic worsens nationally.

"I think that health care is best delivered very, very locally. And so, you know, what we should be doing is trying to have decisions made by local politicians at all costs if we can," Dark said. "I think at this point it should be a state by state decision. But if it gets to the point where it's overwhelming the entire country, then I would call on the president to make that order as well."