Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins reports 413 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, a record for Dallas County and a jump of more than one hundred new cases compared to past days. There were also nine deaths. Jenkins said he is more concerned about the 40% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations over the last two weeks. Jenkins says there will soon be a county order requiring businesses to enforce wearing a mask.
A Houston businessman is suing to stop the contact tracing initiative that is part of Governor Abbott’s plan to reopen the state. Some Republican legislators and anti-vaccine advocates say it infringes on the right to privacy. “There is no means for any Texan to opt out of this surveillance, as others will be asked to report on everyone with whom they have been in the presence of, without regard to the privacy rights of those who do not want to be surveilled,” the lawsuit says. The Dallas Morning News has more.
The British government authorized the use of a drug that is the first to show an improvement on COVID-19 survival. The disease that has now killed 438,000 people worldwide, but an inexpensive steroid has reduced deaths by up to one third for severe patients. Read DMN for more.
The number of Texans hospitalized with COVID-19 jumped up by 275 from Tuesday to Wednesday, meaning there are now a record 2,793 now hospitalized due to the virus, WFAA reports.
In San Antonio, a county order is requiring masks to be worn in all businesses, an earlier order banning local leaders from fining or punishing individuals for not wearing masks. The onus will be on the businesses, not the individuals in Bexar County, The Texas Tribune reports.
