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SAN ANTONIO – Anyone can get a coronavirus test at the CentroMed Clinic in San Antonio, but on a recent day the drive-thru was low. Eventually, two masked men in a maroon SUV pulled right through without waiting.
With hundreds of deaths reported every day, students returning to class and football teams anticipating plans to play, Texas leaders have struggled with testing deficits for much of ‘ the pandemic, now facing the opposite problem: not enough takers.
“We do not have enough people ahead,” the Republican Gov. said. Greg Abbott.
Medical personnel prepared a drive-to-COVID-19 test site, Friday, August 14, 2020, in San Antonio. (AP Photo / Eric Gay)
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The number of coronavirus tests performed daily in Texas has dropped by thousands in August, reflecting nationwide trends that have seen daily test averages in the U.S. nearly 9% since the end of July, according to The COVID Tracking Project. The problem is diminishing demand: Test centers like CentroMed are no longer flooded by long lines that block for blocks, or close hours early because tests run.
The dropoff comes as the US has passed 5 million confirmed cases of coronavirus and closes at 170,000 deaths. It threatens to put the US even further behind other countries that have better managed the pandemic, in part through aggressive testing.
The trend worries health experts who fear Texas may risk flying blind in the fall if testing does not increase. Texas began in May with one of the fastest reopens in the U.S., but weeks later returned in the face of massive outbreaks, giving Abbott finally a state to set up a mask order after earlier saying he would not.
At one point, one overwhelming hospital on the Texas border had COVID-19 patents resolved hundreds of miles (miles) north in search of open beds, and Houston began threatening $ 250 fines this month for not wearing face masks in an attempt to infection to drive figures.
In recent weeks, things have improved, including a nearly 40% drop in hospitalizations since the peak of July. But deaths remain high, and doctors in some parts still say they are still stretching. Texas has averaged more than 210 reported new deaths a day in the past two weeks, according to The COVID Tracking Project. On Friday, it reported 313 deaths. Overall, the state has registered more than 9,600 deaths.
A truck passes a sign for free COVID-19 testing, Friday, August 14, 2020 in San Antonio. (AP Photo / Eric Gay)
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The rolling average of people testing positive for the virus in Texas is stubbornly raised to 16% – a figure that may even be a sign of insufficient testing. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that a positivity rate below 10% is an indicator that a state has robust testing. Abbott has said that unless Texas falls below that number, the bars are likely to remain closed.
Other states in the south clad by the virus this summer are also seeing improvements, including Alabama. Intensive care units remain frustratingly full there, but the average number of newly confirmed cases each day has fallen below 1,000, from 1,800 in mid-July.
It is not clear why tests have failed, even though many areas of the country are still experiencing severe outbreaks. Health experts suspect that some Americans, chased by images of long test lines and the possibility of results lasting a week or longer, decide not to worry unless they are sick. Others have suggested that mixed reports about the disease – such as President Donald Trump’s recent false claim that 99% of COVID-19 cases are harmless – could prevent people from seeking tests.
“The right answer would be because we have less COVID, fewer people have symptoms. A bad answer might be that people give up because it takes a long time, “said Dr. Junda Woo, medical director for San Antonio Metro Health.” We have the data, but we do not have many of the answers. after the data. “
Footballers from Thrall High School, wearing face masks at all times and using social distance whenever possible, will go through a practice, Thursday, August 13, 2020, in Thrall, Texas. (AP Photo / Eric Gay)
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Some cities in Texas now offer testing to just about everyone after months of limited deliveries to only those with symptoms, and Abbott said the state is working on rapid virus testing for nursing homes and schools. Some students are already back in classrooms and in football-obsessed Texas, which is by far the highest football player in the nation with about 170.00, practices are underway.
“At this point, everyone is a guinea pig,” said Jessica Light, a professor at Texas A&M University who eventually decided to send her 8-year-old daughter and 5-year-old son back to classroom when school opens Tuesday. “The teachers, the staff, the students, the parents. Because we are not exactly sure how this will work.”
Sam Chama is scared because his girlfriend’s 5-year-old son is getting ready to start nursery school in a few weeks in Austin. As a former elementary school employee, he knows how easily younger children spread germs, even with the best precautionary measures.
“What will that do if in a month that rates have not fallen?” Asked Chama (35), a geologist. “It is assumed that there will be a decline as a kind of control, which I do not think will happen.”
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