“The Governor has been testing daily, and today was the first positive test result,” the statement read. “Governor Abbott is in constant communication with his staff, agency heads, and government officials to ensure that the state government continues to operate smoothly and efficiently. The Governor will isolate in the Governor’s Mansion and continue to test daily. Governor Abbott is receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment.”
Those who have been in close contact with Abbott today have reportedly been notified, while he remains in “good health, and [is] currently experiencing no symptoms.” The state’s first lady Cecilia Abbott has tested negative.
Just this week, Abbott spoke at a GOP event in Collin County, where the crowd was maskless. On Tuesday, hours before revealing he had come down with COVID, he shared photos of himself with guitarist Jimmie Vaughan.
As the Texas Tribune reports, daily new cases and hospitalizations in Abbott’s state have reached levels similar to those in the winter, as the Governor has become one of the faces of America’s anti-mask, anti-vaxx movements, thanks to his refusal to allow local governments and schools to mandate masks and vaccines. As of Sunday, 45.2% of Texans are vaccinated, the publication reports.
