Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Texas Governor Tests Positive For Covid
Houston Chronicle: Gov. Greg Abbott Tests Positive For COVID After Jam-Packed, Maskless GOP Event
Gov. Greg Abbott has tested positive for COVID-19 but is not experiencing any symptoms, his office announced in a statement to the media. “The governor will isolate in the Governor’s Mansion and continue to test daily,” said Mark Miner, communications director for the governor. “Gov. Abbott is receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment. Gov. Abbott is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms. Everyone that the governor has been in close contact with today has been notified. Texas first lady Cecilia Abbott tested negative.” (Wallace and Goldenstein, 8/17)
The Hill: Abbott Says He's Feeling Well After Positive COVID-19 Test
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) said he is feeling well in a video posted on Twitter after it was disclosed that he had tested positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated. "I test myself every day and today is the first day that I tested positive," Abbott said. "I also want you to know that I have received the COVID-19 vaccine and that may be one reason why I'm really not feeling any symptoms right now. I have no fever, no aches and pains, no other types of symptoms." (Choi, 8/17)
In related news about the spread of covid in Texas —
Houston Chronicle: Gov. Abbott's Mask Mandate Ban Is 'Discriminatory', Alleges Lawsuit By Texas Disability Protection Agency
The federally mandated protection and advocacy agency for people with disabilities in Texas on Tuesday evening sued to challenge the ban on mask mandates imposed by Governor Greg Abbott, according to a news release from the agency. The lawsuit, filed by Disability Rights Texas on behalf of 14 students against Abbott and Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath, alleges that banning schools from requiring masks is “discriminatory” and violates the federal Americans with Disabilities Act because it presents a barrier to children with disabilities accessing in-person schooling safely. (Zong, 8/17)
NBC News: Texas School District Makes Masks Part Of Dress Code To Get Around Gov. Abbott's Order
A small Texas school district has made facial coverings part of its dress code, in a bid to get around Gov. Greg Abbott's executive order banning mask mandates. The board of the Paris Independent School District, which has about 4,000 students, said in a statement Tuesday that the governor's order does not usurp its ability to manage schools. (Helsel, 8/18)
AP: Virus Outbreaks Temporarily Close 4 Texas School Districts
As the new school year begins for Texas students and mask mandates are debated in various state courts, at least four school districts have already closed campuses due to COVID-19 outbreaks. ...The school district in Gorman, located about 70 miles east of Abilene, had been set to begin the new school year on Wednesday but is now delaying that by a week “due to positive COVID cases within the school community of both faculty and students,” Superintendent Mike Winter said in a statement. ... In East Texas, the Bloomburg school district announced it was shut down this week “due to the number of staff members out with COVID.” Classes had started on Aug. 9. (Lozano, 8/17)
Fox News: Dozens Of Kids Hospitalized With COVID-19 And RSV, Texas Pediatrician Says
A top doctor at a Texas children’s hospital said they are treating dozens of kids who were admitted for both respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and COVID-19, and that many others have tested positive for both viruses but did not require hospitalization. "The combination, we don’t have enough data to find out if it’s much worse than having one or the other, but you’ve got two potentially fatal diseases attacking the same child so we take that very, very seriously," Dr. Lara Shekerdemian, chief of critical care at Texas Children’s Hospital, told KHOU.com. (Hein, 8/17)
