GOV. ABBOTT RELEASES COVID-19 MITIGATION PLAN
Governor Greg Abbott on Monday announced a series of actions the state is taking to address the recent increase in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) will bring in medical personnel from out of state to assist in COVID-19 operations at Texas health care facilities.
Abbott has also sent a letter to the Texas Hospital Association asking hospitals to voluntarily postpone elective medical procedures in order to increase hospital capacity for COVID-19 patients.
The Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) and DSHS will open additional COVID-19 antibody infusion centers around the state. The infusion centers will treat COVID-19 patients who do not need to be hospitalized with therapeutic drugs that can prevent their condition from worsening to the point of needing hospitalization.
According to Abbott, the existing infusion center in Lubbock will expand capacity this week, and DSHS will launch five new centers throughout the state, beginning today (Tuesday) with a facility in San Antonio.
Abbott is also directing TDEM and DSHS to increase vaccination availability across the state and encourages all eligible Texans to get vaccinated. To find a COVID-19 vaccine provider, visit covidvaccine.texas.gov.
Apparently, little has changed in this ongoing saga of who’s to blame and who’s not, and who’s an authority and who’s not. Let me address several things that I see consistently in the posts about Covid and the government’s responses.
I see the phrase “do your own research” used very frequently. Certainly, posters who use this turn of words mean nothing more than ‘look it up on a website that you trust.’ If everyone or anyone was to attempt to ‘do their own research’ as the phrase would be understood by educated persons, you would need a medical lab set up for research, which may run between 30 and 50 million dollars. You would also need to have enough formal education to have earned a PhD, and educated and trained lab workers who would likely have Masters or higher degrees. Next, you would need large numbers of biological samples taken from individuals and not just from your local area. Next you would also need the ability to speak back and forth with other persons who are doing the same or similar research to see what they are finding or what they are not finding. The very fact that so few research professionals are constantly being asked about the pandemic is that there are so few out there who are qualified to answer questions posed about the pandemic. While I may have an idea of what would need to be done in an appendectomy, I certainly would not attempt to perform one. Second or third hand knowledge from less than qualified persons is of no use other than as a point to stir up one side against the other.
The second observation that I have is that seemingly the entire medical profession is treated as a bunch of money hungry, foreign controlled puppets. Posters comment on how much money the pharmaceutical companies are making from the vaccines; while I’m certain that the government financing the development of the vaccines cut down the companies’ cost a great deal, the government is also paying for the vaccines, so no one is on the hook for that directly. As a type 1 diabetic, I’m amazed that insulin is probably now as high as it is ever been in price, even though the first formulas were marketed almost 100 years ago. Are the pharmaceutical companies making money? Well certainly they are. Could I live without insulin? Not for very long and probably not with a very high quality of life in that time period. Many point the finger at Dr. Fauci for his change of position on some things every few weeks. The virus has been termed a ‘novel’ virus which means we don’t know all that much about it and as it mutates, changes in procedures and such must be amended. That’s frequently found with many new diseases. Certainly, if anyone went to the Brenham Clinic with pain in your legs and the doctor retrieved a bloodletting device and prepared to place it on your arm, you’d ask what he or she was doing. If the doctor said, “We’ve been using this for several hundred years and it’s what’s accepted,” you’d probably quickly find another doctor. Dr. Hotez at Baylor College of Medicine has probably published over 600 articles which are reviewed by his peers, who have advanced medical degrees and training. The experts that are frequently heard are just that, they are experts in pandemics and virology and diseases. To quote anecdotal information as being equal to medical information is the mark of a simple-minded individual, or one with little formal education.
I wonder if anyone who berates the medical professions in regards to this would take advice from their auto mechanic if they were having dizzy spells, blurred vision, heart palpitations, or blood in their stools? I’ve never asked my GP her opinion of synthetic motor oil or the efficiency of hybrid engines, nor would I, as I doubt she would have the most informed sense of those and would likely not consider herself to be an ‘expert’ to dispense advice.
Lastly, politics should not delve into the medical field, and the medical field should not be focused on politics; however, both need to work together to provide the citizens of this country what is needed most at the present–a solution to protect those that cannot be immunized at present, as well as the vaccination of 80% or so of the adult population to ensure that the virus can be contained and affect the fewest persons possible.
I personally know individuals who can’t take the vaccine do to health issues. They have been told by there doctor that they can’t take the vaccination and have to take there chances around people who don’t have respect for themselves or others. They carry doctors notes around to show ignorant people that say they have to get vaccinated. Think before you speak. Respect other and stop blaming.
You can get covid if you had the shot or if you didn’t. You can spread Covid either way as well. I have family members in the hospital who had the shot and they where way worse than family that didn’t have shot. So honestly we don’t know what works or what doesn’t but lets respect each other take the precautions and lets try to keep infection down.
Government out of our lives, while our Governor is mandating an irresponsible position by taking the choice away. Also as I recall, most of us are immigrants to this country. The true blame is at our feet, the spread is all ours. Calling others stupid, really, that makes you feel better.
My point was, if kids start getting ill, and being hospitalized, it will be on Abbott’s watch. Less government, as you say, while government dictates fly in the face of the common good. Yes, my friend, now people are free to die, and maybe in the process take others with them.
Oh, what a wicked web we weave.
He should be getting his guidance regarding COVID-19 from medical professionals, not his campaign manager. This is a healthcare matter, period. Why do we all have to suffer because some people refuse to take a few precautions and use common sense to prevent the spread of this virus? What happened to the “greater good”?
How can you trust medical professionals that mislead the public to think that ordinary fabric filters COVID-19 and protects you or that nursing homes don’t absolutely need viral filtration systems. that the virus does not come from China and is not engineered. That do not dedicate time to understanding much less presenting the protections of natural immunity only compared along side the different vaccines and vaccines given to those already with natural immunity by the percentages alone by the level of treatment required? The omission of analysis is glaring. How can you trust medical professionals that tell you (and the language they are using is establishing the false equivalency) that COVID is as deadly to everyone as Measles, Polio, TB, Mumps, Anthrax, Smallpox, the freaking bubonic plaque! How can you trust a medical profession that has no idea what the long term consequences of mRNA vaccines are yet act like they do? It is truly impossible to know. We do know that most people with healthy immune systems and a healthy body have no trouble defeating COVID-19 on their own with no medical professional advice. We do know that Moderna and Pfizer at a minimum are making huge record profits at the expense of the future of our children. A future also stolen to protect fat diabetics that smoke and drink. It is a healthcare matter, you got that right, how you care for your health.
If we were after the greater good, you should not be able to buy more than two 12 oz. beers a day, no fast food at all, everyone should have a garden, bike or walk everywhere, or just take public transit, limits all around on consumption, no plastics/polystyrene of any kind, towns would be small and centralized with high energy efficiency, water would not be wasted to wash cars or water lawns, we would not have cell phones or the lithium battery at all as they are a toxic disaster as well as an emotional and physical health hazard speaking to the former. Drugs, single parent homes, sex traffickers, child abuse and neglect. Get all those accomplished and we can talk about the greater good and I’ll even put on some fabric on my face because then I will not be a hypocritical, disingenuous virtue signaler. I would do so because we would have impacted practices that are much more detrimental to our greater good than anything inhibiting the transmission of a fraction of a percent of viral vapor load.
What happened to my body, my choice that people like you throw around so conveniently? Oh NOW it’s different…..
Except your choice to not be vaccinated effects everyone. Its not as simple as just my body my choice.
I have a co-worker that has two teen age boys. She has refused to get them the “well” vaccines that we have all gotten as babies on up to our teenage years. All she had to do was sign a form and her kids could go to school with all of the kids that were vaccinated. No harm no foul right? So how is this different? I do not want the vaccine because it has not been properly tested or vetted by the FDA. Is vetting by the FDA no longer needed for drugs and vaccines? If so, why do we have that department of the federal govt.
And I do agree, it’s my body, my choice. How many other diseases and illnesses do you not know about that is spread daily by unsuspecting people? Will you wear a mask forever? Will you never touch another person? Too many variables.
At our office we have 6 people with COVID as of today 8.18.21, out of those 6, 4 were vaccinated and all six wear their masks everyday. So obviously the mask are not doing all it is supposed to do either.
All of you complaining about Abbott and his response, have zero response about the border crisis!! Cases were well down before Biden allowed the border to be a free for all. People who choose not to take the non-FDA approved emergency use authorized serum are not the problem. COVID positive undocumented, untraced, illegals coming across the border are!! I’ve been to the border and witnessed it first hand and it’s terrible!!! CDC has even said vaccinations do not prevent you from catching, carrying, or spreading COVID. My goodness people, quit being mindless sheep!!
Wow. I hope you never have to endure the pain of losing someone to this deadly virus. It’s easy to put blame on what you FEEL is accurate, but many people from ALL AROUND have been non compliant and blind to the seriousness of COVID. We let our guard down, started traveling, numbers went down so we thought COVID was going away. Educate yourself better and be a little more open minded to the reality of fault EVERYONE has. (In regards to this topic) You won’t be a true advocate for America, the world or anyone for that matter until you witness a loved one losing their fight to COVID. Despite everything our hospitals are capable of doing to save people’s life’s, this virus is relentless and will not back down. I’ve witnessed COVID firsthand as you say you witnessed the border. We that disagree will have our own definition of who are mindless sheep…So, please educate yourself on the purpose of the vaccine and masks. When you witness an unvaccinated individual vs vaccinated in the hospital let us know what your thoughts are then.
Oh Yes, YOU are the ONLY person to experience the loss of a loved one from the China Virus!! No one knows, but YOU!! You and people like you only pull facts from sources that support what you want even if they are in direct contradiction to what was said before!! Before the election you and people like you were NOT going to take the vaccine cause your “side” said they didn’t trust it. Now all the sudden they are for FORCING people to take the vaccine!! I had zero plans to take the vaccine no matter who won until research, data, trials, AND full FDA approval!! As of now, it’s only under EUA approval so you are the test subject for your beloved Fauci…..Good luck with that since he helped create this mess!! I could point to ALL the research that says masks are a joke against a virus, even your beloved Fauci said so, but you won’t listen, you’ve been brainwashed. So to use a phrase y’all love so much, my body, my choice!! And if your vaccine works so great, which it doesn’t, then why worry what I do? You’re protected!!
I 100% don’t feel protected because there are still ignorant people out there. I do what’s best for myself and will continue to do so. The vaccine is not 100% effective, the masks are not 100% effective. Wow, bombshell, shocker I said that right? I’ve educated myself on the facts. The pros the cons, that’s how true research is done when you make a decision of that magnitude. Everyone has a right to do as they please, that’s what I’m doing. I guess you’re right, my body, my choice. Oh no, or maybe I am brainwashed 😮
Don’t take the vaccine and do not wear a mask. No one is forcing you to. If you live, good. If you die, oh well, everyone will! In the mean time stop posting and being a jerk about what other people do. Personally, we do not care what you think or do! You have no power nor authority to decide anything.
Perhaps, you are the “mindless sheep” that you are referring to. Immigrants have brought the virus to Brenham! If they have then perhaps the businesses that hire these illegals for dirty cheap slave wages are to be part of the blame. For the last 4 presidencies the border has not made any gains nor losses. It becomes a crisis only when fake biased media chooses to make immigration the “story of the day”. Adam blames Eve and Eve blamed the serpent for the debacle in Eden. The fact that you choose to deflect, distract, disagree and deceive regarding the source of COVID does not change the FACTS. Intelligent people choose facts over fallacy and FAITH over fear. Perhaps you should too. The immigrants at the border are not the blame for OUR failure to navigate successfully the COVID challenge. It takes just one idiot to blame an entire culture as the source of their problems for a world war to be started. Hitler blamed the Jews and Rome blamed Christians! Nothing new here. A Christian nation would welcome immigrants and foreigners. Enough said!
Oh no, not the Christian card!! You got me!! I stand uncorrected!!
Except that Texas can ACCURATELY pinpoint the spikes to the surge of illegals, which is FAR MORE than any previous three presidents, maybe combined.
Checkmate.
We stand totally uncorrected! You offer no proof because there is no proof! Sad & stupid. I saw illegals in downtown Brenham yesterday just spreading COVID all around! These illegals were on their way to work! Mindless sheep are useless even when slaughtered for lamb chops!
We do accept immigrants but only the one that enter legally not river swimmer’
As a Christian, I do not believe that they should come here illegally. If they did it legally and abided by our laws, it would be different. My grandparents were immigrants. And guess what? They became US citizens even though they spoke no English. Did the US start changing laws because my grandparents could not understand English? No, my grandparents learned the way of the US and learned to speak English.
So, you being a Christian, you would allow me to come and stay in your house for free, you would feed me, for free, find me a job and let me send all of my money to whomever I chose; you would not care if I am vaccinated, a drug addict, a child molester, or a murdered, had aids or other diseases, you would just accept me into your home just because you are a Christian? Please Please send me your address-I am moving in today!!! Being a Christian should not make you blind to these problems.
Do your research correctly about the border just because you went doesn’t mean you have all the facts straight….
You and your liberal friends above should do fact checking. I’m sure NONE of you have left your homes since this all started and have ZERO idea of what is actually going on. My facts come from ACTUAL Border agents and LEO working on the border and have to deal with this daily. I’m sure CNN and your narrative news explain what you want to hear. Stay home, I really don’t care, you stay out of the way of the rest of us.
Y’all act like people don’t die everyday already. If this virus is so deadly why aren’t we all dead by now? We will all die one day. Nobody is going to live forever. If a mask and a vaccine makes your life better then keep on wearing them and get your shot annually. I’m not worried and refuse to live my life in fear. Other people’s freedoms don’t end where your fear begins. If I’m in the store and you don’t want to get close to me I’m good with that. I didn’t ask you to be close to me anyway. I’m aware of the mask wearing people and I do my best to keep away from you.
Yeah, and I bet if you get sick you’ll be the first one in the ER taking up a bed and putting at risk doctors and nurses that take care of you.
Here’s the deal. Use your “freedom” to not go to the hospital if you get COVID. Since you apparently won’t do the very least thing you can do, like get a shot, to help the country crawl out of this pandemic and save lives, then don’t ask that people do extraordinary things to keep you alive.
If you promise not to be vaccinated, then please promise not to take up space in the over-crowded hospitals if you catch the covid. And promise not to take the drugs that will make you better. (they too may also contain tracking devices so the government will know how to locate you).
Yes, everyone is going to die sooner or later, but that doesn’t mean you don’t take precautions to live longer. You don’t stand in the middle of your front yard during a lightning storm. You don’t walk in the middle of the highway, in the dark.
Its called COMMON SENSE.
A. It’s not an FDA approved drug, which takes MANY years.
B. Because of A, mandating anyone be forced to take it is a violation of Nuremberg Code.
C. COMMON SENSE is researching and making your decision.
Facts:
1 drug has been. Recalled
2 have shown severe if not life life threatening sode effects.
4,000+ have died from shot side effects
We don’t know the long term effect of this medicine.
Countries are reporting the spikes are mostly VACCINATED. I tend to believe them more as they’re socialized medicine countries therefore MUST report correctly due to taxpayer money.
Finally:
D. Anyone saying those unvaccinated should get ZERO treatment, when this vaccine is showing folks get ill from it and doesn’t work, is virtue signaling and truly selfish.
Let’s stop.
I guess you wrote ENOUGH, because you didn’t want to hear any facts while your head is stuck in the sand. You thought you could write something down and people would think it is factual.
A. With 600,000 deaths and counting, we don’t have the time to do years of testing. The FDA has approved it for emergency use.
B. The Nuremberg Code does not apply to vaccines that are approved for emergency use.
C. Common Sense has nothing to do with researching ( I’m afraid to know what your sources are). Common sense is “Sound practical judgement”.
2-5 people per million vaccinated have shown mild side effects
According to Dr. Angela Branche, who did the Clinical Trials for the vaccine at the University of Rochester states ” 0 deaths” from the vaccine.
“Spikes are mostly vaccinated” Completely false. Turn on your TV or read a newspaper.
I give up. You cant be helped.
Everyone is entitled to make their own decision, we do what’s best for ourselves and family. I’d like to provide information for those that may be looking for answers. I’m not trying to come across as ugly so please don’t take it that way.
Present day:
627,000 deaths in the US from COVID.
4.41 million deaths worldwide from COVID.
6,789 Deaths in the US from COVID vaccine that’s about the same death rate per year from the flu vaccine which is approximately 5,902.
There have been about 18 recalls for vaccines since 2006. Just like in prescription medicines, recalls do happen in the medical field.
mRNA vaccines have been studied before for flu, Zika, rabies, and cytomegalovirus (CMV).
Researchers began working on developing vaccines for Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) which are two diseases caused by coronaviruses closely related to the virus that causes COVID-19.
By July 2021 about 1,271 fully vaccinated adults had been hospitalized with COVID-19 versus 7,308 unvaccinated.
Drinking the coolaid i see. Hospitals allways are overcrowded they are meant to operate at 100 plus capacity otherwise why build them thay need to be full to make money. They are there to make MONEY not to make people feel better.
Abbott is a failure at governing! He seems to think that “talking tough” is how to win an election. Throw Abbott out like his “Great White Hope (GWH) and mentor, Trump, was dumped! It should be a crime for him and others to put personal politics above what is good & safe for the general public! These illogical crazed people are homeland terrorists in suits carrying briefcases! Every local government or county should have the right to decide for themselves what is best for the area they serve. This “pass the blame” game is getting old! My community, church and family has been vaccinated, but, will continue to social distance, wear masks, refuse to shake hands and have no problem telling others to “take a step back”! We have post phoned 3 family vacations and when staying in hotels, Airbnb or Vrbo homes we re-do all cleaning and sanitizing ourselves! We will never allow “Your” craziness to put “US’ in a personal crisis. Intelligent parents will mandate their children wear a mask while in class because our local leaders are suffering from a mental delusion!
Wow i suppose you the Cuomo did a better job than Abbott. Thei illogical crazed people you speaks of are the Fauci’s and NIH AND CDC leaders spewing lies and deception for their own good.
Put the blame where it belongs, CHINA and all the lies and misinformation from Fauchi and CDC. Governors are doing their best to manage a situation that’s not manageable. This whole illness was pushed on the US and the world by the Chinese, yet Biden will do nothing to make China pay at lease for monetary cost, nothing can be done about the human cost and loss of life.
He failed us all year. Said COVID was no big deal and we will all be okay. Well, I have unvaccinated family in two hospitals in Texas (should hopefully make a recovery). I know others that had the vaccine and still got sick, though not near what is happening to the unvaccinated. Now some hospitals are saying they will no longer accept unvaccinated individuals. Too bad Texas had to turn this political. What happened to the good ole days when Texans stuck together and cared about one another and this great state?
Too bad the border is open with unvaccinated coming freely spreading COVID at a higher rate. Blame Biden not Abbott.
Jon, if it’s an issue of an open border, please explain how non-border states like Florida, Mississippi, and Louisiana have some of the highest infection rates in the world. It’s because all of these have extraordinarily low rates of vaccination. It’s that simple. 99% of new infections are among the unvaccinated. These Republican governors and right wing talking heads are literally killing their voters and viewers with this disinformation.
Many days too late! If kids at school start dropping. Abbott is responsible.
Kids have never “dropped” as you put it, quit being dramatic!
No he’s not, he has never said any kid couldn’t wear a mask! He said the state and school districts can’t force a child to??? Government out of our lives!!
We the people!!!
I don’t know why people blame him for their stupidity???
JUST 5 NEW infusion centers???!!
Will this be a standard of care? Why not make it available at all ERs …..set up as a triage, testing and treatment “tent” facility at all ERs?
JUST 5 NEW CENTERS???!!
“According to Abbott, the existing infusion center in Lubbock will expand capacity this week, and DSHS will launch five new centers throughout the state, beginning today (Tuesday) with a facility in San Antonio.”
So he is taking medical personnel from other states to help Texas just because he is being stubborn and won’t let each town/districts make their own decisions..hmm
Just to be clear, these are all steps he is taking to help handle the HUGE increase in Covid cases. He is doing nothing to try to prevent more cases.
Imagine of there were a rash of barn fires in Washington County. And instead of trying to figure out why, and what we can do to prevent them, they just said “Let’s buy more firetrucks”.
It’s really worse than that. To make your analogy more realistic, imagine that we know why the barn fires are happening and how to prevent them, we issue an order that says those who don’t want their barns burned can’t do take the actions to prevent the fires because group of people who think it’s their right to go around starting fires.
But again he’s not responsible for stupid people?!
The government in Texas is out of this as it should be!!!
You have to be joking. How can the government of Texas be “out of this” when the governor has literally issued a mandate that prevents local control over COVID mitigation. This is all while he is supposedly against mandates.
Abbot is quite literally pro COVID at this point. He’s not only doing nothing he is getting in the way of people even trying to stop the spread. I guess when some kids in Brenham die all of you can offer your litany of prayer, which are about as useful as the governor.
And Biden is all about saving us all ??????????? PULL YOUR HEADS OUT !!!! Illegals are FLOODING across the border and then they( Biden administration ) are bussing and flying them all over the country to spread the virus and you want to blame Abbot???????? We were fine until Biden just opened up the border . I am sure you all also bought Cuomo’s book about what a great job he did against covid in New York . All of you Abbot blamers PLEASE MOVE to New York or LA !!!!!
I never said Biden was all about saving us. Abbott’s performance is completely separate. Also, immigrants coming across the border does not automatically mean they they are driving the surge in cases. You actually have to provide evidence for that. There is none, it’s just a way for the unvaccinated and irresponsible to sleep at night without acknowledging their own failures.
What does the border matter anyway? It doesn’t mean that there isn’t still a surge and the way to stop it is being vaccinated. No matter who is responsible, the way out remains the same and that is vaccination.
HAHAHA, we were “fine” before BIden? HAHAHA….. PLEASE!!!!!!!
In case you didn’t know, they get tested before they are released here in the US!
PLEASE! – Let me fix this for you…
In case you didn’t know, they get tested before they are released here in the US even if they’re positive!
This mitigation plan would not be necessary if he had mandated masks in public places, distancing, encouraged vaccines, required vaccines in any government supported institutions. His excuse is these regulations would cost the state money. Well, this mitigation plan costs money. So the real reason is not money, it is political. Political vote pandering to citizens who care nothing for the health and welfare of others. Completely selfish, and the very opposite of the christians his supporters claim to be.
No it’s not the government’s responsibility to make you wear a non-working mask! If you don’t make the decision for yourself, why does the state have to tell you?
Government out of our lives?
We the people?????
The gold medal goes to “Observer of insanity”. You are on point. Fake pseudo “Christians in name only” support racist, suppressive, culturally outdated and illogical solutions to problems that JESUS has already taught God’s remedy for.
Love thy neighbor would suggest turn your head when you cough, treat others the way you want to be treated, consider others better than yourself and WEAR A MASK in public as a precaution to protect others as well as YOURSELF from a possible COVID infection. Businesses and corporations can mandate their employees get vaccinated (treat them as slaves); but, county leadership, school boards and city management cannot mandate mask wearing in public because the little “dictator” in Austin said so. This is complete stone-age stupidity.