Governor Abbott tests positive for COVID-19 despite being fully vaccinated
HOUSTON - Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced Monday he's tested positive for COVID-19.
In a video posted to Twitter, Abbott promised to stay engaged at the Capitol and at the legislature, as his body fights off the virus.
"The good news is that my wife continues to test negative. Also want you to know that I have received the COVID-19 vaccine and that may be one reason I’m really not feeling any symptoms right now," Abbott said.
Abbott's office said he’s receiving Regeneron's monoclonal antibody treatment and anyone who's been in close contact with the Governor has been notified.
The news comes a day after Abbott attended a mask-less, crowded GOP event in Collin County, outside of Dallas.
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Abbott has been fervent on his stance for personal freedom during the pandemic.
Political analysts don’t believe his positive test will change anything.
"I doubt it's going to have any real impact on his decision making, however, we are going to see it become political fodder for Democrats, who were quite critical of the Governor's insistence that cities, counties and school districts do not have the ability to mandate masks. I would suspect that the only way that executive order gets changed is if things get dramatically worse here in Texas," said Mark Jones, a political analyst with Rice University.
Currently, new COVID-19 infections are soaring across Texas and hospitalizations have increased more than 300% in the last month.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there have been 20,123 new confirmed cases as of Tuesday, 96 reported deaths, and 12,227 hospitalizations. Currently, 341 ICU beds are available in Texas.
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Texas has also ordered five mortuary trailers from FEMA, in addition to local hospitals, like LBJ, opening tents to prepare for patient overflow.