Governor cites virus testing in Texas hot spots, but in El Paso it’s actually going down

EL PASO, Texas -- As Texas Gov. Greg Abbott held a news conference Monday to acknowledge that the numbers of Covid-19 cases and people gong to the hospital with the virus are rising at an "unacceptable rate," he also said the state is implementing more testing in hot spots.

He said in the last half of May, people testing positive in Texas averaged 1,500 cases a day. But in the last five days, Texas has average 3,500 cases a day of people testing positive for Covid-19.

Abbott also noted the rise of hospitalizations; on average in the latter part of May, about 1,600 Texans required hospitalizations a day with the virus. But the state’s chief executive said that in the last four or five days, that number has shot up to 3,200 Texans a day.

“Covid -19 is now spreading at an unacceptable rate in Texas, and it must be corralled,” he said.

However, in El Paso, testing is on the decline.

Deputy city manager Tracey Jerome told City Council members on Monday that El Pasoans are not heading to testing sites.

At one those sites at Memorial Park, ABC-7 found military and health officials standing idly by on Monday afternoon, waiting in the scorching heat for people to test.

“Our daily average testing rate over the past two weeks has declined approximately 21 per cent," said Jerome. "And this is a concern because it is an illustration that although there is more available testing free and open to anyone in the community who wants to have it," many are not taking advantage of it.

Jerome added that almost a quarter of those who are currently testing positive are asymptomatic - meaning they don't show any signs of infection - and could easily spread the virus to others.