Abbott: Texas has 19,695 hospital beds available
AUSTIN, Texas - Texas Governor Greg Abbott has said that Texas has 19,695 hospital beds available, a 142% increase since the beginning of March.
More than 2,000 ICU beds and over 8,700 ventilators are also available.
WHAT ELSE DID ABBOTT SAY?
- 55,000 Texans have been tested
- 5,478 have tested positive
- 827 people hospitalized
- 91 confirmed fatalities
- More than 1.4 million facemasks, 190,000 face shields, 2 million gloves, 160,000 gowns have been provided
Gov. Abbott was joined by the Texas Department of State Health Services Commissioner John Hellerstedt, MD, Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd, and Dr. John Zerwas during the press conference.
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Symptoms for coronavirus COVID-19 include fever, coughing, and shortness of breath. These, of course, are similar to the common cold and flu.
Expect a common cold to start out with a sore or scratchy throat, cough, runny and/or stuffy nose. Flu symptoms are more intense and usually come on suddenly, and can include a high fever.
Symptoms of COVID-19 may appear more slowly. They usually include fever, a dry cough and noticeable shortness of breath, according to the World Health Organization. A minority of cases develop pneumonia, and the disease is especially worrisome for the elderly and those with other medical problems such as high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes or heart conditions.
Right now there's one big difference between flu and coronavirus: A vaccine exists to help prevent the flu and it's not too late to get it. It won't protect you from catching the coronavirus but may put you in a better position to fight it.
To protect yourself, wash your hands well and often, keep them away from your face, and avoid crowds and standing close to people.
And if you do find yourself showing any of these flu or coronavirus symptoms - don't go straight to your doctor's office. That just risks making more people sick, officials urge. Call ahead, and ask if you need to be seen and where.
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You can watch live in your FOX 7 Austin app or on the FOX 7 Austin Facebook page.
You can also get the latest COVID-19 news from around the country at coronavirusnow.com.