Gov. Greg Abbott in a release detailed the ongoing containment plan for the COVID-19 outbreak in Amarillo that reported over 700 positive cases Saturday.
The release said that the Amarillo region currently has 516 hospital beds available, 236 surge beds available and 110 ventilators available.
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On May 4, Abbott deployed a Surge Response Team (SRT) to Amarillo consisting of Medical Incident Support Team personnel from the Texas Emergency Medical Task Force (EMTF) and 70 members of the Texas National Guard.
These teams conducted a site survey of high risk areas to begin testing employees in meat packing facilities. Texas is seeing the results of those tests and will continue to see these results in targeted areas over the next two weeks.
In addition to the SRT, the United States Department of Agriculture, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM), the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), BCFS Health and Human Services, and local officials are all responding to the outbreak.
WATCH: KSAT interview with Governor Greg Abbott
Plants with widespread outbreaks have temporarily shut down for thorough disinfection. Individuals with a positive test who cannot otherwise isolate are offered area hotels, and DSHS is maintaining an alternate care site for patients that do not require hospitalization. Furthermore, Abbott is sending an additional allotment of remdesivir to the Amarillo area.
These actions follow Abbott’s May 2nd deployment of mobile testing teams to provide free COVID-19 testing for Amarillo and surrounding communities.
Since their inception, these mobile test collection teams, supported by TDEM, Texas Military Department, DSHS, and the EMTF, have tested over 34,500 Texans in 212 counties across the state.
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