Gov. Greg Abbott will visit South Texas on Tuesday to address the region's need for more hospital capacity to treat patients with COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus. The 2:45 p.m. event follows a morning stop in San Antonio where Abbott provided updates on the state's supply of personal protective equipment and how schools should reopen.
He'll be joined by Nim Kidd, the chief of the state's emergency management division.
Since July 20, when Texas passed 4,000 deaths, some Rio Grande Valley counties have seen significant increases in the number of people dying from COVID-19. That part of the state— among the hardest-hit parts of Texas — has a larger share of Hispanic residents than many other areas. National data has shown that Black and Hispanic people are disproportionately affected by the virus. In Texas, Hispanic people are the most likely to lack health coverage, making up 61% of the uninsured but only 40% of the population, according to figures used by the Texas Medical Association.
The McAllen event is scheduled to begin at 2:45 p.m. Tuesday. Watch live courtesy of KXAS-TV in Dallas-Fort Worth.
Disclosure: Texas Medical Association has been a financial supporter of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune's journalism. Find a complete list of them here.
The Texas Tribune provided this story.
