With more testing, Texas to see ‘exponential increase’ in COVID-19 cases, Abbott says
Gov. Greg Abbott said Monday that as widespread testing for the novel coronavirus becomes available in Texas, there will be an “exponential increase in the number of people that test positive on a daily basis.”
As of Monday afternoon, there have been at least 57 confirmed COVID-19 cases in 15 Texas counties, not including repatriated individuals being monitored at the Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Tarrant County health officials announced the county’s fifth positive case Monday.
More than 200 Texans have been tested in public health labs and by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and 300 Texans are in the process of being tested — although those numbers are likely to increase — Abbott said at a press conference in San Antonio Monday.
By the end of this week, everyone who needs a COVID-19 test will be able to receive one, but “the fact is, not everyone needs one,” Abbott said.
“You can’t just drive up like you would drive up to Whataburger and order a cheeseburger. You can’t drive up to this and order a COVID-19 test,” Abbott said in reference to drive-through testing sites. “You have to have some explanation of why you qualify for needing the COVID-19 test, and that first qualifier is a doctor’s order, which typically would mean that there’s some symptoms that you have that you’re demonstrating, and or some contact.”
Mayor Ron Nirenberg also announced at Monday’s press conference that gatherings of more than 50 people would be restricted in the city. His announcement comes on the heels of the CDC’s new guidance Sunday that for the next eight weeks, in-person gatherings of 50 people or more should be canceled or postponed.
The CDC noted in its guidelines that the recommendation does not apply to the day-to-day operations of schools, institutions of higher education or businesses. Governors and mayors across the country have adopted similar restrictions in recent days, limiting large gatherings, restricting services at businesses and closing schools.
San Antonio was the first city in Texas to launch a drive-through testing site, but testing is currently limited to health care workers and first responders on the front lines. During the press conference, a video was played detailing the testing process, showing health care workers clad in protective gear.
Drive-through testing sites have also launched in Dallas and Austin, with more expected in other large cities like Houston.
Abbott said additional sites will be initiated throughout the state, and will be operated in part by public health departments, private healthcare facilities and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“Altogether, when this is fully operational later this week, we will be testing far more than 10,000 people per week,” Abbott said.
Testing capabilities have been limited as public health labs receive more kits, and additional private labs work to come online. Last week, Tarrant County’s own testing capabilities were lower than originally anticipated, and some DFW residents who recently experienced symptoms said they faced difficulties getting tested.
Previously, tests have often been reserved for those who meet certain criteria, such as recently traveling to an affected area or being hospitalized with common COVID-19 symptoms, like fever and respiratory issues.
With increased testing and reports of community spread in Texas — instances when people are not sure how or where they became infected — Abbott said groups that will be prioritized include healthcare providers, at-risk populations like senior citizens and those who are showing serious symptoms but are found not to have common illnesses, like the flu.
“If we lose healthcare providers to COVID-19, we’re not going to have anybody to care for all these people,” Abbott said, anticipating health care providers who are exposed often will be tested on a daily basis.
Tarrant County Public Health did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday about drive-through sites in the Fort Worth-area. The Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council said last week that North Texas hospitals will be opening remote testing sites in an effort to keep potentially sick patients out of emergency rooms and doctor’s offices.
Since declaring a state of disaster Friday, Abbott has taken a series of actions, including eliminating STAAR test requirements for the school year amid school closures, waiving regulations to bolster deliveries to grocery stores and limiting visitation to nursing homes.
Shortly after Monday’s press conference, Abbott announced he suspended various open meeting provisions that require government officials and members of the public to be physically present, and instead would allow for telephone or video conferences that the public can participate in remotely.
This story was originally published March 16, 2020 at 2:56 PM.
