Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tested positive for COVID-19 and currently has no symptoms of the virus, his office said in a statement released on Aug. 17.
“Governor Greg Abbott today tested positive for the COVID-19 virus. The Governor has been testing daily, and today was the first positive test result,” the statement reads, adding that Abbott, a Republican, has been vaccinated against COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.
“Governor Abbott is in constant communication with his staff, agency heads, and government officials to ensure that state government continues to operate smoothly and efficiently,” his office said. “The Governor will isolate in the Governor’s Mansion and continue to test daily. Governor Abbott is receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment.”
Regeneron’s treatment is the same that helped former President Donald Trump overcome COVID-19 last year.
“Everyone that the Governor has been in close contact with today has been notified. Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott tested negative,” the statement said.
In recent weeks, Abbott has expressed concern about illegal immigrants entering his state from Mexico who may have COVID-19, issuing an order late last month restricting the transportation of illegal immigrants in Texas.
“The dramatic rise in unlawful border crossings has also led to a dramatic rise in COVID-19 cases among unlawful migrants who have made their way into our state, and we must do more to protect Texans from this virus and reduce the burden on our communities,” Abbott said in a statement. “This Executive Order will reduce the risk of COVID-19 exposure in our communities.”
Abbott also said he won’t impose mandates around masks and vaccines, although some school districts have defied him and are forcing children to wear masks.
The Texas Supreme Court earlier this week granted an emergency stay of Abbott’s order banning mask mandates, overriding lower court rulings that allowed Bexar and Dallas counties to enforce masking in schools.
The governor has often said that parents, not government officials, should decide whether students wear masks. It comes in contrast to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) recommendation that children wear face coverings in class—regardless of vaccination status.
Meanwhile, a University of Florida study released in June found that children’s masks can harbor numerous other dangerous pathogens, including bacteria that cause meningitis, pneumonia, and Diptheria.
According to the CDC’s COVID-19 tracker, the seven-day average of CCP virus deaths in the United States is about 550 as of Aug. 16. During several COVID-19 peaks in spring 2020 and over the previous winter, there were periods when the seven-day average for deaths was more than 2,200 and 4,100, respectively.
