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1/ Texas is the first state to pass 1 million confirmed COVID-19 cases. Our November/December cover story looks at the state’s pandemic response and how we got here. https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
2/ Texas’ health system has been underfunded, understaffed, and unprepared for years. Here, COVID-19 found the perfect place to spread. https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
3/ The pandemic strategy here has mirrored Texas’ individualistic approach to health care: Each person for themselves. Wait for crises to crop up instead of taking steps to prevent them. Cut assistance at the first sign it’s helping. https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
4/ Texas’ decentralized public health system has been underfunded and overstretched for years.
“Everybody was already making do to do their regular jobs, much less when a fucking pandemic comes,” said a state health department epidemiologist. https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
“Everybody was already making do to do their regular jobs, much less when a fucking pandemic comes,” said a state health department epidemiologist. https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
5/ State lawmakers budgeted $17.7 million for infectious disease surveillance, prevention, and epidemiology this year. By contrast, Texas budgeted more than $400 million—23 times as much—on border security. https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
6/ For all the shortcomings COVID-19 has exposed in the U.S. health system, the failures are especially pronounced in Texas. We have the highest rate and number of uninsured residents, by far—among other public health problems.
https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
7/ Rural Texas has been hit hard by COVID-19. As of last month, eight of the 10 counties with the highest per capita case rates were rural, and rural Texans had died of COVID-19 at a nearly 45 percent higher rate than those in non-rural areas. https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
8/ “Nobody gets fired up and says, ‘Yes, let’s build up our public health department!’” says Ben King, an epidemiologist and professor at @UHouston. “But what we’re seeing is, fundamentally, that undermining and defunding public health has this outcome.” https://www.texasobserver.org/covid-19-texas-coronavirus/
