Coronavirus In Texas: Governor Abbott Says Nearly 20K Hospital Beds Available
AUSTIN, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - Texas Governor Greg Abbott provided the latest coronavirus numbers and shared some good news about hospital bed capacity during a news conference Friday.
Gov. Abbott said more than 55,000 have been tested for COVID-19 with less than 10%, 5,478 testing positive.
Ninety-one people have died of coronavirus in Texas and 827 people have been hospitalized.
Gov. Abbott said Texas has 19,695 hospital beds available to respond to an influx of COVID-19, including more thabn 2,100 intensive care unit beds.
That's up from 8,100 beds the state had before the Governor started issuing emergency orders to try to increase the number of beds available.
Gov. Abbott said during past week, the Supply Chain Strike Force has found found 1.4 million face masks as well as millions more gowns and gloves for medical workers on the front lines of battling the pandemic.
He also said he believes Texas has enough ventilators based on studies he has seen.
The amount of COVID-19 testing is also increasing by approximately 10% each day, according to Gov. Abbott.
The Governor also reminded Texans what it takes behind medical equipment to respond to this emergency.
"We see COVID-19 continue to spread in our state," Gov. Abbott said. "If you are not involved in providing essential services it is in your best interest, for your health, to stay at home."
An order allowing only "essential" businesses to stay open goes through April 30 in Texas.
"We started ahead of the curve, but we are sprinting to stay ahead of the curve," Gov. Abbott said.
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