Texas Gov. Greg Abbott — whose controversial early coronavirus reopening plan was slammed by President Biden as “Neanderthal thinking” — boasted that the state had zero daily COVID-19 deaths on Sunday.
“Today Texas reported: 0 Covid related deaths–the only time that’s happened since data was tracked in March, 2020,” the Republican governor said on Twitter.
He added that the state also had the “lowest 7-day Covid positivity rate ever” and “the fewest Covid cases in over 13 months.”
But while the Lone Star State tallied zero fatalities that day, officials in the highly populated Dallas County no longer report new coronavirus data on Sundays — and the CDC’s tracker shows that Texas had 305 coronavirus deaths overall last week.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced there were zero COVID-19 deaths in the state on May 16, 2021.Lynda M. Gonzalez-Pool/Getty ImagesAbbott’s assertion came after he lifted the statewide mask mandate on March 2 — declaring “it’s time to reopen Texas 100 percent,” sparking a fiery back-and-forth between him and Biden.
People order breakfast at Bill Smith’s Cafe, after Texas Gov. Greg Abbott issued a rollback of COVID-19 restrictions in McKinney, Texas, March 10, 2021. REUTERS/Shelby Tauber“The last thing, the last thing you need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime everything is fine, take off your mask,” Biden said of the decision, at a time when many Americans adults were still not eligible to get vaccinated.
People drink and eat at Truck Yard beer garden in Houston, Texas, on April 9, 2021, amid COVID-19 without masks. FRANCOIS PICARD/AFP via Getty ImagesAbbott quickly fired back at Biden — insisting it’s the president who has primitive policy logic.
Joe Biden slammed Greg Abbott for softening COVID restrictions in Texas. Alex Wong/Getty Images“First, it obviously is not the type of thing that the president should be saying,” Abbott said on “Fox & Friends.” “But, second, he kind of said it on the worst day he could have, because the same day he said that in Texas, the Biden administration was releasing illegal immigrants into our communities who had COVID.”
He added, “The Biden administration was exposing Texans to COVID. That is a Neanderthal-type approach to dealing with the COVID situation.”
Texas nevertheless reopened businesses, including the Texas Rangers’ stadium, Globe Life Field, last month.
On Monday, Texas reported 42 new COVID-19 deaths and a seven-day positivity rate of less than 5 percent, according to the CDC. By contrast, New York reported 11 new deaths and a seven-day positivity rate of less than 5 percent.
People gather at Lazarus Brewing Company for drinks on March 10, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Tamir Kalifa/Getty ImagesA total of 650 more coronavirus cases were reported in Texas on Sunday, including 595 new cases, according to the Dallasnews.com, which noted county health officials don’t report new coronavirus data on Sundays.
