Coronavirus Update: October 8th, 2020

By The Numbers:
Statistics are current as of October 8th, 2:30pm CT  

• In Texas, 6,664,440 people have been tested, resulting in 777,556 cases and 16,230 deaths, as reported by the Texas Department of State Health Services. There are an estimated 70,813 active cases in our state, and an estimated 692,123 coronavirus patients in Texas have successfully recovered.  
  • Tarrant County has at least 48,707 confirmed cases, the third-highest number of cases among Texas counties; Parker County has 2,085 confirmed cases; and Wise County has 799.   
• In the United States, there are at least 7,528,313 cases and 211,132 deaths, as reported by the CDC. 

Need to Know:

• Operation Warp Speed races ahead. My Congressional colleagues and I continue to receive briefings on the progress made by Operation Warp Speed, the Trump Administration’s historic effort to bring a vaccine for the coronavirus to the American people in record time. Operation Warp Speed leverages public-private partnerships between the federal government and private vaccine researchers to draw upon the best each have to offer. Dozens of potential vaccines are already in clinical development testing phases, and at least three promising vaccines are in “Phase III,” the final stage of clinical trials. In addition to vaccine development and production, the Trump Administration has also invested in new diagnostic tests and therapeutic treatments for faster recovery. Learn more about Operation Warp Speed here.

• Governor Abbott allows Texas bars to reopen. This Wednesday, October 7th, Governor Abbott announced an executive order allowing Texas bars to reopen at 50% capacity after being shut down in June to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. County governments, however, must opt in to allow the reopenings, and bars in regions with high outbreaks—which Governor Abbott is defining as those where coronavirus patients make up over 15% of hospital capacity—are not permitted to reopen. Bars in participating counties will be allowed to reopen at 50% capacity starting next Wednesday, October 14th, although all bar customers must be seated while eating or drinking.
  • Also included in the Governor’s executive order are relaxed restrictions for other businesses like amusement parks, movie theaters, bowling alleys, and zoos, which can expand from 50% to 75% capacity next week. Learn more from the Governor’s Office here.

• To locate a testing site in Fort Worth, visit fortworthtexas.gov/COVID-19/testing/. To locate a testing site anywhere in Texas, visit bit.ly/txcovidtest.