Texas continues to have fewer than 10 percent of COVID-19 tests come back positive.
So far, over 85,000 tests have been conducted — a 20 percent increase from yesterday. Of those, 7,319 have tested positive — of which only 1,153 have required hospitalization.
To date, 140 deaths have occurred from COVID-19 in Texas.
Should the need arise, the state has over 21,000 hospital beds available with over 6,000 ventilators at the ready.
The State of Texas received 2.5 million personal protective masks in the last 24 hours.
“Based on what I know is coming in, Texas looks to be very well supplied,” said Abbott.
Abbott also mentioned that 30 patients in Texas City’s Medical Resort are in a hydroxychloroquine trial. They are in the second day of the trial.
Hydroxychloroquine is a malaria medication with which some doctors have had success in treating coronavirus patients. In late March, the Texas State Pharmacy received a donation of one million hydroxychloroquine pills.
Abbott said Texas is a week or two behind states like California and New York in terms of positive tests. But he maintains the state’s testing capabilities will continue to increase.
The governor also relayed from the White House that the federal direct deposits approved by Congress will begin showing up in bank accounts next week. Those amount to $1,200 per individual who makes less than $75,000 per year and additional amounts per child.
Abbott has received pressure from local elected officials and state legislators to input a statewide shelter order. Instead, he has encouraged local governments to enact stricter policies if necessary for their communities.
Various cities and counties, such as Cleburne, have implemented stricter guidelines for their communities.
The state will continue monitoring the situation, and the governor will continue to hold regular press conferences as things progress.
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Brad Johnson
Brad Johnson is a senior reporter for The Texan and an Ohio native who graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 2017. He is an avid sports fan who most enjoys watching his favorite teams continue their title drought throughout his cognizant lifetime. In his free time, you may find Brad quoting Monty Python productions and trying to calculate the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow.
