Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Governor Stresses Protective Measures As Cases Soar
AP: Texas Passes 500K Cases; Infection Rate Soars To New High
Texas surpassed 500,000 confirmed coronavirus cases Tuesday as Republican Gov. Greg Abbott suggested family and neighborhood gatherings are behind a sharp rise in the rate of positive tests, which has climbed to record levels just as schools are beginning to reopen across the state. He also continued to say more testing in Texas is likely after dropping off in recent weeks, a trend seen across the U.S. even as deaths mount. Texas has reported more than 1,400 new deaths over the past week, including 220 on Tuesday. (Weber, 8/12)
The New York Times: Texas Has Too Many Cases To Reopen, Governor Warns
Gov. Greg Abbott, meeting with leaders in Texas’s sprawling Gulf Coast region to discuss his Covid-19 strategy, strongly suggested Tuesday that hospitalizations and cases from the virus remained far too high to allow a swift relaxation of business closures and other restrictions. The Republican governor, who traveled to Beaumont and Victoria, cited signs of progress but indicated Texas still had a long way to go in overcoming a relentless surge that made it one of the nation’s leading hot spots in the pandemic. (8/11)
CNN: Texans Are Seeing How Dangerous Coronavirus Can Be As Cases Soar Past 500,000
As Texas soars past 500,000 Covid-19 cases, state officials are redoubling their efforts to get residents to wear masks and practice social distancing, after suggesting that the surge has been driven by people letting their guard down. "The most important thing I could convey today that is even though the numbers of Covid-19 have improved, it has not left Jefferson County, it has not left Orange County, it has not left the state of Texas," Gov. Greg Abbott said. (Holcombe, 8/12)
