Photos show what it's like inside a Houston hospital right now, where coronavirus cases are skyrocketing and ICUs are nearly full

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At United Memorial Medical Center in northern Houston, hospital beds are increasingly being dedicated to coronavirus patients.

As of Tuesday, 88 of 117 beds are being used to treat COVID-19 patients, and the hospital is considering transforming itself into a coronavirus-only facility, AP reported.

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The number of severe COVID-19 patients has surged in recent weeks, leaving healthcare workers to face a harrowing level of death.

In extreme cases, patients are being put on ventilators and moved into Intensive Care Units. One doctor told local media, "Seeing these patients that can't come off of the ventilator. The pneumonia has affected their lungs. They feel they can't breathe… and never leaving that hospital until you're in a body bag."

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Over the past two weeks, hospitalizations have soared throughout Texas, and Houston has become one of the hardest-hit areas.

Nearly 80% of beds are in use statewide, according to the AP, and Texas is reporting more than four times as many cases every day as it was in June.

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So far, Houston has recorded more than 40,000 cases at least 603 deaths.

But those numbers might not be fully accurate. As coronavirus cases surge, an increasing number of Houston residents are dying in their homes, and those numbers aren't always accounted for, ProPublica reported.

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With more and more patients dying, healthcare workers have expressed frustration over a lack of ability to help people. "Every effort that you can imagine, everything that has been written, we did, and yet we were unsuccessful," one doctor told AP of a patient who died.

The situation is becoming so grim that authorities predict Houston hospitals and ICUs could be overwhelmed in a matter of days.

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In some cases, hospital beds are so limited that patients are being held in urgent care before transferring to the next available unit.

Though Texas leaders say there are still 12,000 beds left throughout the state, because the Lone Star state is so sprawling, those vacancies may not be able to accommodate people in areas where the virus is skyrocketing.

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In order to help free up space, Texas Gov. Gregg Abbott banned elective surgeries in more than 100 counties across the state.

Healthcare workers treating COVID-19 patients have reported a lack of sleep and an exhausting emotional toll.

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Here, a tired healthcare worker is seen resting against a colleague outside of the coronavirus unit.

And this photo shows healthcare workers lending each other support and back rubs before going back to treating patients.

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For safety, United Memorial Medical Center has sectioned off three wings of the hospital to treat COVID-19 patients.

Each wing is tapered off with large tarps.

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Healthcare workers treating coronavirus patients are required to wear two sets of protective equipment (PPE). The AP's Nomaan Merchant wrote that includes "two sets of masks, gowns, gloves, shoe and head coverings, and a face shield."

Dr. Joseph Varon of United Memorial Medical Center told the AP he has worked more than 100 days with only a few hours of sleep a night, and spends his spare time checking in on families and giving media interviews to spread word about the virus.

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"People need to see this so they can understand and won't do stupid things," he told AP from the hospital. "Every day, we have stuff like this. Every single day."

On Thursday, Texas reported its second straight day of more than 100 deaths, and the second time it surpassed 10,000 new cases.

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