Abbott warns surge ‘unacceptable’
He urges Texans to wear masks but won’t impose more restrictions as infections spike
Gov. Greg Abbott pleaded with Texans on Monday to better protect themselves against the coronavirus, acknowledging that the virus is now “spreading at an unacceptable rate” as hospitals fill and health experts warn Houston could be the next epicenter of the national pandemic.
Less than a week after he downplayed rising caseloads, citing abundant medical resources and anomalies in the data, the Republican governor struck a more urgent and exasperated tone, saying many of those not yet infected seem unwilling to wear masks or take other steps that are proven to slow the spread of the virus.
Abbott declined, however, to step up statewide restrictions, pointing instead to local leaders for guidance. He threatened to take “additional measures” only if infections continue to rise. In the past, Abbott has said he would consider delaying elective surgeries once again if hospitals run low on space.
“COVID-19 is now spreading at an unacceptable rate in the state of Texas, and it must be corralled,” he said, adding, “If you are at risk or sick, you should stay at home. You should wear a face mask when you go out.”
The remarks come as the rate of those testing positive for the virus has soared to its highest level since April, and the number of people hospitalized with the virus has more than doubled in recent weeks, following the Memorial Day weekend, recent policing demonstrations and the ongoing reopening of businesses, restaurants and amusement parks.
On Monday, the Department of State Health Services reported more than 3,700 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, the 11th straight day of record highs. While there are still thousands of
beds available, admissions for both general and intensive care beds have increased, as have emergency room visits for people with coronavirus-like symptoms.
Abbott said last week that cases appeared to be rising in some counties because of reporting errors and testing at nursing homes, jails and prisons, where cases are easier to contain.
Some local health officials have offered contrasting accounts, saying infections in their counties are spreading steadily, with no clear source. Cases among young adults have been rising in several regions.
“This is not because of wide testing campaigns, this is because of community spread of this virus,” Dr. Seth Sullivan of the Brazos County Health Department said at a press conference last week. “As businesses continue to open, there’s been this increase in the cases.”
Over the weekend, Bexar County recorded its highest single-day increase in new cases, and Dr. Peter Hotez, an infectious disease expert at Baylor College of Medicine, said Houston was on a path to “become the worst affected city in the U.S.”
In a reversal last week, Abbott allowed county judges to require that masks be worn inside local businesses.
Several urban counties have since done so, but officials in others have refused, saying it’s a matter of individual responsibility.
The governor had previously
“As businesses continue to open, there’s been this increase in the cases.”
Dr. Seth Sullivan, Brazos County Health Department
stripped county officials of the authority to impose penalties on those who do not wear face coverings in public.
Dr. Scott Gottlieb, a national health expert and the former commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration under President Donald Trump, said Sunday that it was past time for Texas and Florida, which is undergoing a similar surge, to issue mask ordinances.
“I think it’s a mistake that they’re not doing it now,” he told CBS’s Face the Nation. “They’re losing precious time.”
Meanwhile, health experts on the ground say a sense of fatigue is setting in as the pandemic enters its fourth month in Texas.
“At the beginning, people were home and this was novel,” said Darlene Bhavnani, an infectious disease expert at Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin who is helping lead case investigations in central Texas. “Now more and more we’re just seeing people are tired of this.”
Dr. Luis Ostrosky, an infectious disease specialist at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth, said cases in the Houston region have grown so much in the past week that the charts had to be redrawn to accommodate all the growth. The region is now averaging just below 1,000 new cases per week.
“We are in a much worse situation now than we were in March,” he said.
The Texas Democratic Party stepped up its criticism of the governor Monday, accusing him of sacrificing infected Texans in the name of economic recovery.
“As other states continue to see their cases dwindle, Texas is skyrocketing because of Gov. Abbott’s weak leadership and botched reopening of the state,” Executive Director Manny Garcia, said in a statement. “By his own metrics, Gov. Abbott should not have pressed forth with the reopening of Texas. He refused to follow the metrics listed out by the CDC, White House or his own guidelines, and Texans are dying as a result.”