Abbott: It’s ‘clear’ social distancing is working, but efforts must continue

Texas governor shares new numbers on PPE procurement in news conference

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott shared good news with Texans on Monday, indicating that social distancing efforts are beginning to slow the spread of COVID-19 in the state. But there’s more work to be done, he cautioned.

On Monday, Abbott held a news conference and shared the latest numbers regarding the pandemic’s toll on the state. As of Monday, there are 7,276 cases in Texas and 140 deaths due to COVID-19 complications. More than 1,100 people have been hospitalized, Abbott added.

Abbott started the news conference after a call with other governors. He said that stimulus checks will start being paid this week and that spread of COVID-19 is slowing.

“We are getting close to beginning to bend the curve, but ... if we let up now, all of our efforts that have led us to the his point will have been for nothing,” Abbott said.

The governor focused the bulk of the news conference on the state’s personal protective equipment procurement.

By the end of the week, Abbott said the state will have acquired more than 5 million masks. He also said they’ve distributed more than 1.6 million masks, 209,000 face shields, 2.7 million gloves, 170,000 gowns and nearly 8,000 coveralls to hospitals around the state.

In the San Antonio area, more than 230,000 masks, 29,000 face shields, 348,000 gloves, 21,000 gowns and 1,000 coveralls have been distributed to hospitals.

Dr. John Hellerstedt, the Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner, told Texans that the case numbers will continue to grow, but that “there’s light at the end of the tunnel.”