Texas faces tipping point as COVID-19 spreads

Source: The Hill | August 19, 2021 | Justine Coleman and Maggie Miller

Texas is facing a tipping point in the state’s battle with COVID-19.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R), who is fully vaccinated, tested positive for COVID-19 this week as deaths in his state from the coronavirus have more than doubled in the last two weeks and hospitals have reached capacity.

While Abbott suffered a relatively rare breakthrough infection, less than half the state’s total population is fully vaccinated against the virus, putting them at heavy risk of getting the COVID-19 disease.

The massive spike in cases could also easily climb more, with unvaccinated students across the state returning to school this week amid a battle with Abbott over mask mandates in classes to protect children aged 12 and under who do not yet have the option to be vaccinated.

The dynamics have put everyone on edge and have created heated political battles between Abbott and the Democratic leaders of several urban centers.

“We are concerned about escalating numbers, our cases yesterday were higher than our seven-day moving average, our hospitalizations higher than our seven-day moving average, ICUs higher than our seven-day moving average, so we are still real concerned about the numbers we are seeing,” Austin Mayor Steve Adler (D) told The Hill Wednesday.

“We do know that the best way and really the only way out of this long-term is for people to get vaccinated, so we are doing everything we can to get more and more people vaccinated.”

Austin is one of a handful of Texas cities that has fought back against Abbott’s executive order against mask mandates. The Texas Supreme Court earlier this week issued a temporary order banning mask mandates issued in cities including Dallas and San Antonio.

Following the ruling, Abbott defended the decision to ban mask mandates, tweeting that “the ban doesn’t prohibit using masks. Anyone who wants to wear a mask can do so, including in schools.”

But at the same time, Texas is enduring a massive increase in COVID-19 cases. It counting an average of 15,500 new cases per day, with hospitals and ICUs nearing or at capacity in many areas.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) considers almost 94 percent of counties in Texas to have high transmission. Only eight of 254 counties don’t fall under the agency’s recommendations for fully vaccinated people to wear masks indoors.

Out of any state, Texas ranks second for both the most adults with confirmed COVID-19 in hospitals and intensive care units, trailing behind Florida, according to data from the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

The Lone Star State narrowly has the most hospitalized children with confirmed COVID-19 diagnoses, counting 196 children currently, compared to Florida’s 190 pediatric hospitalizations.

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