TEXAS — The governor gave an update on bed capacity in Texas after a spike of cases has been seen across the state.
In the press conference, he said that we have to "co-exist with COVID-19."
He said that the state has the second-lowest death rate in the U.S. in terms of COVID-19. He also said that if someone needs to be hospitalized in Texas because of COVID-19, the state has the bed space.
He also mentioned that we hit the highest number of positive tests after the reopening, but he said this spike was due to Jefferson County having an outbreak at a prison, and Pecos County had a data error that caused a report of 92 in cases when there were only 2.
The governor also said there will be another spike on Tuesday with 2,622 cases. He said that Collin County and Hays County had a large spike in cases, contributing to the jump.
After looking at data, he said that another reason for this spike is people going to bar-like spaces, as well as Memorial Day.
TABC said that if bars do not follow social distancing protocols, they could lose their license.
The governor added that there were 2,518 hospitalization due to COVID-19 reported on Tuesday.
He said that if you do not need to get out, it is better to stay home. He especially advised those more vulnerable to stay home.
He recommended for people to wear a mask, sanitize your hands and follow safe distancing practices.
The released the following slides on bed capacity. They said in the state, there are almost 15,000 beds available.
They also showed a plan for medical surges. They showed 5 separate levels and described what each meant:
