Greg Abbott, who is fully immunized, has been a vocal opponent of masks and vaccine mandates. According to early data, breakthrough infections are now responsible for a growing percentage of hospitalizations in the United States.

What you should know is the following:

  • Greg Abbott, the governor of Texas, has been tested positive for Covid-19.
  • Early indicators suggest that new infections are increasing in the United States.
  • The majority of Americans will be recommended booster vaccines eight months after first immunisation.
  • Pope Francis makes a promotional film for immunisation.
  • Schools have evolved into a focal point for America’s cultural clashes.

Governor Greg Abbott tested positive for Covid-19 on Tuesday and is now receiving antibody treatment, according to the governor’s office. Abbott is asymptomatic.

Mr. Abbott appealed to the Supreme Court his opposition to mask and vaccine requirements. Greg Abbott, who is fully immunized, will be isolated at the Governor’s Mansion while getting antibody therapy, which may help patients at risk of developing a life-threatening infection.

According to the statement, the governor is being tested daily and tested positive today. Governor Abbott also maintains frequent communication with the heads of his agencies, employees, and other members of government.

Mr. Abbott made the remark less than a day after addressing an indoor political event in a hotly contested area of Dallas’ rapidly expanding suburbs.

Mr. Abbott may be seen shaking hands and smiling with supporters who were largely unidentified in the governor’s campaign pictures and videos.

According to The Houston Chronicle, Greg Abbott informed those gathered that masks were optional — a stance he has maintained throughout Texas despite a significant rise in cases and many hospitals nearing or approaching capacity. The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment on the event.

At least ten more governors — six Republicans and four Democrats — have contracted the virus since the outbreak began, according to statistics compiled by Ballotpedia, a political information website. Similarly, four lieutenant governors have served, all of them Republicans.

Texas has lower vaccination rates than many other states in the US, and deaths are rising, although much more slowly than in prior waves, owing to the fact that the state’s oldest and most vulnerable residents are already vaccinated. According to a New York Times database, the state has made an average of more than 15,000 new coronavirus cases each day as of Tuesday, up from more than 10,000 two weeks earlier.

Mr. Abbott, 63, has come under criticism as the number of accessible intensive-care beds has dropped in Austin and other cities. He did, however, uphold his ban on mask mandates, which bars local governments from imposing restrictions on their people.

Fear and outrage over the pandemic’s development in Texas, the country’s second-most populous state, come as schools prepare to reopen, heightening fears about the virus’s future spread.

The CDC updated its recommendations last month, recommending that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear a mask inside in high-risk areas and that everyone, regardless of vaccination status, wear one in schools. On the other hand, Mr. Abbott redoubled his efforts in the other direction. He issued an executive order banning state and municipal governments from coercing vaccines and reaffirming earlier court decisions prohibiting authorities from requiring youngsters to wear masks.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the majority of counties in the United States are experiencing “substantial” or “high” transmission.

Following at least three court victories against Mr. Abbott’s ban, state Attorney General Ken Paxton said last week that he will appeal to the Texas Supreme Court. The setbacks happened in areas governed by Democrats, where diseases were common and hospitalizations were rising.

The State Supreme Court ruled on Sunday in favour of the state, ruling that schools cannot compel pupils to wear masks.