Texas Gov. Greg Abbott tests positive for COVID after attending a maskless fundraiser on Monday: His office says he’s fully vaccinated, in good health and isolating
- Gov. Abbott’s office confirmed he tested positive for COVID on Tuesday
- The Republican released a Twitter video saying he is not experiencing any symptoms and credited the fact that he is fully vaccinated
- Abbott also thanked everyone who has sent him well wishes for a quick recovery
- He promised that he will continue governing while in isolation
- Abbot is now receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment
- On Tuesday he posed for pictures with Jimmy Vaughan, the brother of music legend Stevie Ray Vaughan
- He was seen on Monday at a fundraiser with Republican supporters, many of them maskless
- Abbott has banned mask and vaccine mandates in his state
Texas Governor Greg Abbott says he is not experiencing any symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19 following a maskless fundraiser.
The Republican released a Twitter video on Tuesday evening and said he has been tested daily, and today was his first positive test.
Abbott said the fact that he is fully vaccinated ‘may be one reason I’m really not feeling any symptoms right now. I have no fever, no aches and pains, no other types of symptoms’.
He also thanked everyone who has sent him well wishes for a quick recovery and promised that he will continue governing while in isolation at the governor’s mansion.
Abbott is receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment – a treatment authorized for mild to moderate cases in people at risk of progressing to more severe symptoms or hospitalization.
On Tuesday the 63-year-old was photographed with Jimmie Vaughan, the brother of music legend Stevie Ray Vaughan.
On Monday he was at a Republican Club meeting at Heritage Ranch with a large group of GOP donors, many of them not wearing masks.
Abbott is one of the many Republican governors who have challenged the Biden administration over COVID restrictions and has banned mask and vaccine mandates in his state.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott released a video on Tuesday night saying he is not experiencing any symptoms after testing positive for COVID-19 following a maskless fundraiser
On Tuesday he was photographed with Jimmie Vaughan, the brother of music legend Stevie Ray Vaughan
The statement read: ‘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.
‘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.
‘The governor will isolate in the governor’s mansion and continue to test daily. Governor Abbott is receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment
‘Governor Abbott is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms. Everyone that the governor has been in close contact with today has been notified. Texas first lady Cecilia Abbott tested negative.’
Such ‘breakthrough’ infections in fully vaccinated people are rare, and generally generate only mild symptoms.
The news of Abbott’s positive test result came after Texas requested five mortuary trailers to deal with the surge in cases and in anticipation of the spike in COVID deaths.
On Monday he was at a Republican Club meeting at Heritage Ranch with a large group of GOP donors, many of them not wearing masks
In Texas, the seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases has risen 348% in a month to 12,478 per day from an average of 2,783 per day
In Texas, the seven-day rolling average of COVID-19 cases has risen 348 percent in a month to 12,478 per day from an average of 2,783 per day.
The state expects that a rise in deaths will soon follow with officials requesting five mortuary trailers from the federal government, reported NBC News.
The trucks will be sent by the Federal Emergency Management Agency and distributed around Texas.
Texas is currently averaging 80 COVID-related deaths per day, a figure not seen since mid-March 2021.
Doug Loveday, a spokesperson for the Department of State Health Services, told NBC News that officials requested the trailers on August 4 after models projected an increase in COVID-19 fatalities.
‘We are anticipating a need within the state of Texas for these trailers as COVID cases and hospitalizations continue to increase,’ Loveday said.
A spokesperson for FEMA confirmed the request and said three of the five trailers will arrive in Texas on Friday and the remaining two on Saturday.
‘FEMA and HHS continue to work closely with the state of Texas to provide needed resources,’ the spokesperson told NBC News.