HOUSTON — Editor's Note: Houston health expert discuss upward trend in positive COVID-19 cases during a one-on-one with KHOU 11.
Federal support has been extended for community-based coronavirus testing sites in Houston and Dallas until the end of the month, Gov. Greg Abbott confirmed in a release Sunday.
The governor’s office said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services support will last through July 31. Abbott had secured an extension of these sites in June.
There are more 900 testing sites across the state. More than 28,000 positive cases and 268 deaths have been confirmed in Houston.
"The State of Texas is committed to providing ample testing resources as we work to contain the recent surge in COVID-19 cases," Abbott said. "Our continued collaboration with our federal partners is essential to our efforts. The extension of this program in Dallas and Houston will help secure more testing for Texans in these communities.”
MORE ON COVID-19
Houston, which has garnered national concern as COVID-19 hot spot, reported record-breaking daily coronavirus case numbers over the weekend with 1,524 confirmed cases in a single-day.
The upward trend continues to fuel a range of concerns from hospital capacity to the in-class return of Houston-area students.
Meanwhile, Texas also set a daily record Saturday with 10,351 positive cases in a single day.
Abbott announced Friday that additional federal resources have been activated and are being sent to the Houston region to help in the fight against COVID-19.
An Urban Area Medical Task Force from the U.S. Department of Defense will arrive in the region on Monday and a Disaster Medical Assistance Team from U.S. Health and Human Services has been deployed.
They will assist in hospitals in the Houston region.
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KHOU has just upgraded its technology. If you were unable to receive KHOU with your antenna in the past, try again on channel 11.11. You may have to rescan your channels for it to work – if that’s the case, we’ve got some instructions at KHOU.com/antenna. If you already see KHOU on 11.1, you may now ALSO see it on 11.11 – it’s the exact same programming. We’re really excited to be able to bring our KHOU 11 News, CBS shows and sports, Wheel of Fortune, Ellen and Great Day Houston to more homes around the area. If you’re still having trouble, please contact us here and we’ll try to get you set up.