Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ Texas has exceeded another one of the governor’s key coronavirus metrics.

The 7-day average positivity rate passed 10% on Wednesday, a level that Gov. Greg Abbott has called a “warning flag.” bit.ly/31ektZi

2/ The positivity rate is the ratio of positive cases to the number of tests conducted.

This is the latest in a streak of rapidly increasing numbers that have worried public health experts and local officials in Texas. bit.ly/31ektZi

3/ For 13 days in a row, the number of patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has reached record highs.

Hospitalizations have more than doubled since the beginning of June.

The daily count of new cases passed the 5,000 mark on Tuesday & reached 5,551 today. bit.ly/31ektZi

4/ “There is a massive outbreak of COVID-19 across the state of Texas,” Abbott told an Amarillo television station on Wednesday. bit.ly/31ektZi

5/ Currently in Texas, restaurants can operate at 75% capacity.

Virtually all other businesses, including bars, can operate at 50% capacity. bit.ly/31ektZi

6/ Earlier this month Abbott said there was "no real need" to scale back business reopenings, citing the number of hospital beds available.

He has also said closing the state would be “the last option.” bit.ly/31ektZi

7/ But earlier this week, Abbott began striking an urgent tone, saying on Monday that “COVID-19 is now spreading at an unacceptable rate in Texas.” bit.ly/31ektZi

8/8 It's these latest numbers that have worried public health experts.

“The outlook is not good,” said Rebecca Fischer, an infectious disease epidemiologist at the Texas A&M University School of Public Health. “We are in a super dire situation.” bit.ly/31ektZi