Dallas City Wire

Texans have been hurt financially, mentally and physically by the COVID-19 shutdowns, as demonstrated in a new survey providing staggering statistics of residents negatively impacted.

An Episcopal Health Foundation survey found that 50% of Texans said the pandemic has caused financial hardship and 22% say the pandemic has caused severe financial suffering. Hispanic Texans, those without health insurance and also households earning less than $50,000 a year responded more often that they have suffered financially as a result of the shutdowns, the Dallas Morning News reported.

With respect to health issues, the survey found that more than a third of Texans said they or someone in their household postponed or skipped medical care due to the pandemic. Approximately 91% have skipped preventative care, such as child immunizations, mammograms, checkups and colonoscopies.

While the survey found most Texans indicated good mental health, 46% said they worry, or that the stress from COVID-19 has negatively impacted their mental health. 

The survey also found that 22% of Texans, when asked about virtual visits or telemedicine for health treatment, lack internet access or the ability to talk with a doctor online. 

Texas continues to have the nation's highest rate of uninsured residents and the coronavirus pandemic has exacerbated the situation. Twenty-nine percent of Texans said they are uninsured, while 8% said they lost health insurance during the pandemic.

More than one-third of Texas residents said someone in their household lost a job, business or had work hours reduced due to the pandemic. 

A divide on job losses related to education also exists. The survey found 27% of college graduates lost income, compared to 42% of Texans with less than a college degree losing income.

Additional findings from the survey include that 21% of parents say their child would not have the supervision needed to participate in online learning; 42% said "the federal government should be primarily responsible for the health care response to the pandemic;" and 55% said "the federal government should be primarily responsible for economic recovery after COVID-19."

Additionally, 72% said they received federal government financial assistance as a result of COVID-19.