COVID-19 spread ‘unacceptable’ in Texas, but restrictions not yet needed, Abbott says
Amid recent record hospitalizations and new cases of the novel coronavirus, Gov. Greg Abbott urged Texans to stringently follow social distancing guidelines, but said Monday that reintroducing stay-at-home restrictions is not yet needed.
“To state the obvious, COVID-19 is now spreading at an unacceptable rate in Texas, and it must be corralled,” Abbott said during a press conference from the Texas Capitol.
Two of the key metrics Abbott said he is assessing — hospitalization levels and the infection rate — have been on the rise since late May. And if they increase “too much” Abbott said there are strategies the state can turn to without reinstating stay-at-home policies.
“Closing down Texas again will always be the last option,” Abbott said.
Abbott pointed to measures already being taken, including targeted testing of hot spots, local officials restricting access to popular recreation areas and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission’s recent crackdowns on bars that violated reopening guidelines.
Referring to charts that showed the rise in new cases, hospitalizations and the infection rate, Abbott said “there’s been pretty much a doubling of the numbers in those three categories.”
If the figures continue to double over the next month, “that would mean that we are in an urgent situation where tougher actions will be required” to contain the virus’ spread, Abbott said.
Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients reached an all-time high Monday for the eleventh straight day. According to Texas Department of State Health Services data, 3,711 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized Monday — an increase of 302 patients from the previous record of 3,409 hospitalized Sunday. And they have more than doubled since the 1,511 patients hospitalized on Memorial Day.
The infection rate — the number of positive cases out of the total tested — has also been trending upward. After reaching a recent low of 4.27% on May 26, the state’s seven-day average infection rate has more than doubled and was at 9.51% Sunday, according to DSHS.
Saturday, DSHS reported 4,430 new COVID-19 cases — a single-day high — and another 3,866 cases Sunday and 3,280 cases Monday. At least 2,192 COVID-19 related deaths have occurred throughout the state.
Last week amid near-daily records of hospitalizations, Abbott stressed that the state has an “abundant supply” of hospital beds available. It was a point state leaders echoed Monday, pointing to conversations with hospital CEOs who have reassured them that they still have sufficient capacity to treat COVID-19 patients.
As of Monday afternoon, DSHS reported 14,316 available hospital beds, 1,493 intensive care unit beds and 5,818 available ventilators.
A new study released Monday from UT Southwestern Medical Center predicts a surge in COVID-19 cases in North Texas throughout the summer and into the fall — especially if residents follow social distancing guidelines even less. Over the next two weeks, the report predicts a 20% increase in hospitalizations.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations over Time
Coronavirus daily hospitalization counts in Texas and the larger Trauma Service Areas, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
In the wake of Memorial Day weekend, public health experts have said it’s not entirely unexpected that the number of cases has increased as businesses reopen and people begin to gather and venture outside. However, they stressed that Texans need to continue to take precautions, wear face masks and socially distance.
DSHS Commissioner John Hellerstedt said Texans “need to recover a sense of community that we had early on” and recommit to the health and safety measures experts recommend.
“I know that some people feel that wearing a mask is inconvenient or it’s like an infringement of freedom, but I also know that wearing a mask will help us to keep Texas open,” Abbott said.
Last week, the mayors’ of Texas largest cities urged Abbott to restore local officials’ ability to enforce residents wear face masks. After Abbott signaled his approval, local officials across the state have begun to require businesses mandate employees and customers wear face coverings.
When asked if he would consider mandating face coverings be worn statewide, Abbott said in a state the size of Texas it is important to maintain a level of flexibility as some cities see record surges, while other areas have few confirmed cases.
“What may be true in Austin, Texas, is different in Austin County in the state of Texas,” Abbott said. “And we need to have latitude for that differentiation.”
The pace of Abbott’s phased reopening of businesses has been criticized from both ends of the political spectrum. Hardline conservatives have called on Abbott to more quickly reopen businesses in order to jump start the economy, and some North Texas counties have passed resolutions declaring themselves fully open for business.
Meanwhile, Democrats have said rising cases need to decline first.
“By his own metrics, Governor Abbott should not have pressed forth with the reopening of Texas,” Manny Garcia, the executive director of the Texas Democratic Party, said in a statement Monday ahead of Abbott’s press conference.
On Saturday, Texas reported 62,782 new viral COVID-19 tests — the most it has reported in one day. However the state has yet to consistently meet its goal of 30,000 new tests each day.
Rep. Chris Turner, a Democrat from Grand Prairie and chair of the House Democratic Caucus, said in a statement Monday that Abbott did a good job of describing the virus’ spread, but failed to take action.
“He set the stage to finally take much-needed strong and decisive action — and then, predictably, backed away without doing anything,” Turner said.
This story was originally published June 22, 2020 at 2:56 PM with the headline "COVID-19 spread ‘unacceptable’ in Texas, but restrictions not yet needed, Abbott says."
