Here is What You Need To Know About Greg Abbott

Texas reports 1,000 new coronavirus deaths in just 10 days. New @TwitterMoments. https://t.co/yP5SdQoP0s

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) July 20, 2020

New coronavirus cases and hospitalizations have been rising fast across Texas since the beginning of June, and the number of deaths is now rising more quickly as well — a “very predictable” outcome, said Catherine Troisi, an infectious disease epidemiologist at UTHealth School of Public Health in Houston.

Over the last week, COVID-19 has killed an average of 112 people each day in Texas — nearly three times more than two weeks ago. On July 6, the seven-day average was 36 deaths per day.

Troisi said the real number of coronavirus-related deaths is higher.

“We can say for sure that deaths are undercounted,” she said. “If you die and you haven't had a COVID-positive test, even if you have all of the symptoms, you're not counted as COVID death.”

“It’s still an open question to know how much larger, but we do expect the true toll to be larger,” said Spencer Fox, associate director of the University of Texas COVID-19 Modeling Consortium.

And yes, the number of people in hospitals is declining slightly, but still:

Both health experts said they expect deaths from the virus to continue climbing in Texas for several more weeks, even as some local health authorities see signs of hospitalizations from COVID-19 leveling off. For the past week, hospitalizations have swung between 10,471 and 10,658, for a seven-day average of 10,564.

Troisi said she wants to see at least two weeks of hospitalization numbers staying in the same range before calling it a plateau.

Meanwhile, the chief executive of Hidalgo County tried to do something about the crisis in his county.  But:

Hidalgo County Judge Richard Cortez on Monday ordered residents to shelter at home to stop the spread of the coronavirus. But under @GovAbbott's current statewide orders, local governments can't enforce such mandates. https://t.co/hR4NSMwFjT

— Texas Tribune (@TexasTribune) July 21, 2020

Greg Abbott to Texas:  Sucks to be you.

The Texas GOP to Abbott:  You suck.  The Texas GOP to Texas:  you're all idiots and unworthy.

Meanwhile Wendy Davis, unknown to anybody before she challenged a Texas special session with a marathon filibuster, and labeled "Abortion Barbie" for her efforts (Abbott just called another special session and got the law passed), is running for an open Federal House district that was supposed to be a "safe" GOP seat, and may well win it.  And John Cornyn is looking over his shoulder.

Change is coming.  Count on it.