Texas hospitals to receive tens of thousands of rapid COVID-19 tests, Gov. Abbott says
Gov. Greg Abbott announced on Friday that Texas hospitals are set to receive a shipment of 10,000 rapid COVID-19 tests from Abbott Laboratories, with the number to grow in the coming weeks.
“Right before coming out here I was speaking with the CEO of Abbott Labs to get the updated information about what is available here in the state of Texas. He said that they have shipped already 10,000 of these tests to Texas that should be available now and for us to be able to expect 20,000 tests to be made available each week,” Abbott said on Friday from the Texas Capitol.
The initial shipment will be distributed to seven hospitals, and will expand to about 44 locations, Abbott said. The Illinois-based company has said its tests can detect a positive result within five minutes, and Abbott said the focus of the rapid tests will be for healthcare providers on the frontlines.
“That would be our nurses, our doctors, our first-responders who are dealing face to face with people who may be positive for COVID-19,” Abbott said. “They need to know immediately whether or not they may have COVID-19, so that they would be removed from a situation where they would be transmitting that disease to somebody else.”
As of Friday afternoon, Abbott said in Texas there were at least 5,478 confirmed cases, 827 people hospitalized, 91 COVID-19 related deaths and more than 55,000 Texans who have been tested.
Abbott said the number of Texans hospitalized for COVID-19, currently comes from data from public health labs and hospitals across the state.
When asked if it may be incomplete, Abbott said: “It’s the most cumulative information we have.”
Abbott has taken a slew of actions in an effort to increase hospital bed capacity to prepare for a surge in COVID-19 patients, including waiving regulations and directing health care providers to postpone surgeries and procedures that aren’t medically necessary.
As of April 2, there are 19,695 hospital beds available in Texas — a 142% increase from the 8,155 beds available March 18, according to a presentation given during the press conference. Statewide, there are 47,585 beds reported, 2,107 available intensive-care-unit beds and 8,741 total ventilators.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth area alone, there are 4,242 beds available — or 33% — out of 12,399 total reported beds, and 541 ICU beds available, according to the governor’s presentation.
“Our capacity should prevent us from facing the type of situation that New York is having to deal with today,” Abbott said.
Tuesday, Abbott had said during a press conference that of the hospital beds available in Texas for COVID-19 patients, only 2.4% were currently occupied.
Former state Rep. John Zerwas, who is serving on the governor’s “Supply Chain Strike Force,” also outlined five various strategies the state may escalate to in an effort to increase bed capacity, such as expanding to using operating rooms, opening additional facilities and setting up alternative sties in conjunction with local officials.
By ensuring that hospital systems are supported to staff all their available beds, the state could add 7,600 beds, Zerwas estimated.
“These are beds that are ready to go. They just need people to staff them and they need some of the equipment to make them functional,” Zerwas said.
The state’s highest level would include “non-traditional” alternatives, like utilizing hotels or previously closed healthcare facilities to provide extra beds.
“These are places where typically you’ll send patients when they’re either not requiring a whole lot of extra care or they’re actually getting over an episode of COVID-19 and on the way out,” Zerwas said.
Abbott announced on Sunday that The Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas will open as a temporary medical center if needed, starting with 250 beds and the capacity to expand that number.
Brandon Bennett, director of Fort Worth’s joint Emergency Operations Center, said Thursday that federal officials visited Fort Worth over the weekend to scout a possible field hospital location in preparation for COVID-19 patients overwhelming hospitals.
In Fort Worth, hospitals have offered few details about their bed capacity and their plans to respond to a surge in patients.
When asked about the amount of personal protective equipment that Texas has requested from the Strategic National Stockpile, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd said the state has received 3.8 million masks.
Nurses associations, local officials, lawmakers and the heads of hospital systems had urged Abbott to issue a statewide stay-at-home order, pointing to it as the most effective step to ensure Texas’ hospital systems won’t be overwhelmed by a surge in cases.
Abbott took that step Tuesday, although he rejected the label of a “shelter-in-place” or “stay-at-home” order.
This story was originally published April 3, 2020 at 5:06 PM.
