Coronavirus: Governor Greg Abbott Seeks to Prevent Texas From Medical Shortages Seen in New York
Greg Abbott Acquires Medical Supplies
Texas Governor Releases New Numbers On Hospital Beds For Pandemic
Texas Governor Greg Abbott provided the latest numbers of hospital beds, intensive care unit beds and ventilators Friday as the Lone Star State prepares for the peak of the corona virus pandemic in the next few weeks. The resilient governor may be facing his biggest challenge since he was partially paralyzed at age 26 when a huge oak fell on him.
Governor Abbott Preparations Should Prevent New York Tragedy
The 48th governor of |Texas further said the number of medical supplies he's been able to obtain for the Lone Star State "should prevent" the shortage New York is currently facing while fighting the corona virus pandemic. Abbott wrote in his autobiography, "Our lives are not defined by our challenges, but by how we respond to those challenges." He is uniquely qualified to answer this challenge by virtue of his own life experiences.
Governor Abbott Has Increased Bed Capacity By 142%
Abbott revealed Texas has increased hospital bed capacity by 142% due to regulations he's waived and executive orders he's issued during the corona virus pandemic. The invisible enemy has not yet hit Texas with the ferocity it has exhibited in the Empire State. During that time, Abbott has been stockpiling as many medical supplies as he can.
Governor Abbott Has Built Up Supply Of Medical Equipment To Combat Pandemic
Abbott provided an update today on the medical equipment he has accrued as the corona virus pandemic looms deadly on the horizon. He said there are now 19, 695 hospital beds available and more than 2,000 intensive care beds available statewide for COVID-19 patients.
He further said Texas already has 8,741 ventilators,a valuable tool to aid infected patients who require acute care.
Abbott Praises Dr. John Zerwas
Abbott praised Dr. John Zerwas, who leads the Texas task force to secure more equipment. Zerwas said Texas can add at least 10,000 more beds and 4,000 more ICU beds.
Zerwas Accumulates Million Plus Face Masks
Dr. Zerwas and his strike force have in the last six days accumulated a mountain of medical supplies. They include 1.4 million face masks, 190,000 face shields, 2 million glovs and 160,000 gowns, according to Abbott.
Abbott Takes Steps To Halt Corona Virus At Louisiana Border
Abbot has not only done a stellar job acquiring medical supplies, but he has also taken steps to halt the corona virus pandemic at the Louisiana border. The next door state has seen an explosion of cases since the recent Mardi Gras festivities in New Orleans, La. Three thousand COVID-19 cases were confirmed in Louisiana Thursday. That's the most that state has seen in one day so far.
Abbott Quarantines Residents Of Louisiana
Abbott last week announced a 14-day quarantine for Louisiana residents crossing the border with Texas. By Thursday evening, the Bayou State had 9,150 cases and 310 deaths from the highly-contagious virus.
Dallas A Possible Hot Spot As Deaths Rise
Gov. Abbott warned Texans to stay home because of the spike of cases in just one week. A week ago there were 1,400 people in the state who tested positive for corona virus. As of yesterday 4,600 have been positive.
A week ago there were 18 Texas deaths. As of yesterday there were more than 70 fatalities in the state.
"Those numbers are going to increase with the Dallas area in particular being one of the hottest spots in the state," Abbott said.
Abbott Concerned About Non-Compliance
The governor further said not everyone is complying with guidelines. He said, "I have seen sporadic----either photographs or videos--whether it be in the Dallas area, the Austin area or elsewhere in the state of Texas, where some people are not complying."
Abbott Working With President Donald Trump
Abbott further said he's working with President Donald Trump to be sure the oil and gas industry in Texas stays viable during the corona virus pandemic. He said a major factor in the oil and gas industry problems has also been that Saudi Arabia and Russia have been flooding the market with oil thus driving the price down.
Abbott also said, "The President announced, he believes that we are on the precipice of having some type of deal worked out between Russia and Saudi Arabia."
New York Epicenter Of Pandemic
While Abbott took steps to stop the pandemic from spilling over the Louisiana border into Texas, he previously took steps to stop the flow from New York. The Empire State has reported 83, 948 cases with 1,941 deaths. New York City has tabulated 56,289 corona virus cases and 1,867 deaths, according to the city's website.
Abbott's Quarantine On New York Travelers
Abbott earlier instituted a quarantine on anyone flying into Texas from New York. That included Connecticut and New Jersey, which along with New York constitute the Tri-State area. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo has been complaining about a shortage of ventilators in his state.
Connecticut Connection To New York Pandemic?
There has been speculation party goers to a soiree in Westport, Conn. may have taken the virus with them into the Big Apple.Before this ground zero party, there were no reports in Westport of the virus. About 50 people gathered at this birthday party for a lady who turned 40.
The people then split, several of them taking the virus with them to several social events in New York City. About half of the people at the party tested positive.
Texas Peak Near End Of April
Abbott said the corona virus pandemic peak is not expected until the end of April.In line with that estimate, the governor extended his executive order until April 30 for social-distancing guidelines.
Abbott Has A Spine Of Steel
Abbott has been known to say that politicians like to say they have a steel spine. He smiles and says that he literally has one. After the oak tree fell on him while he was jogging in Houston, doctors had to place a steel rod in his back to save his life.
Despite this life-changing accident, he went on to become a justice on the Texas Supreme Court, Texas attorney general and now governor. A lesser person would've given up. Texas is lucky to have a governor with such fortitude at the helm of the ship of state in these turbulent times.