Meanwhile, back in Texas

Local leaders say testing sites in some of Texas’ largest cities are strained. Now, Austin won’t test people without symptoms, and facilities in Dallas and Houston are reaching testing capacity midday.
https://t.co/7r2Hd3uarC

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) June 30, 2020

This is only the public sites, in Houston anyway.  There are only two.  There are about 10 testing sites at a private facility, with locations around town.  It's a 15 minute test there, according to news reports last night.  But for inexplicable reasons, the wait at each facility runs to 10 hours.  That's 10 hours to get in and get tested.

There are reports the response on testing can take weeks.  So you could be infected and not know it for the two weeks you should be quarantined.  That's happened more than once.

This is why I tell Dan Crenshaw to fuck right off.

1/ Early voting for Texas primary runoffs began today.

It’s the first statewide election during the pandemic. It will look and operate differently from any Texas election in the past 100 years.https://t.co/yoqcOkU8iL

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) June 29, 2020

Stats last night showed about 20,000 more (IIRC) mail in ballots by Democrats than Republicans, state wide.  Also showed larger turnout for early voting yesterday among Dems than Republicans.  Overall, I'd say the enthusiasm (it's a primary runoff) favors the Democrats.  Which may, or may not, mean anything in November.  But Trump may be depressing voting by mail.  And I heard one person on local news explaining people in Texas could vote by mail out of fear of the coronavirus, citing the Texas Supreme Court decision.  Hope!

The Texas Medical Association is encouraging people to wear a mask, social distance and stay home. The TMA is also a sponsor of the Texas Republican convention, where thousands will gather in Houston next month without a mask mandate.https://t.co/9e6ODKCkxp

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) June 29, 2020

No small amount of confusion in Houston as major hospitals and the Medical Center insist they are not overcrowded, and at the same time, reports say they are near or at capacity. (The two public hospitals are overcrowded, but they aren't in it for the $$$$.)  Probably the hospital CEO's want to tamp down reports of capacity to get Abbott to lift restrictions on elective surgeries (Follow the $$$).  Obviously the Texas AMA is doing just that.

Medicine and politics is an ugly combination.  Has been since at least Reagan was shilling for the AMA against Medicare.