For mental health support related to COVID-19, call the state’s 24/7 toll-free support line at 833-986-1919 or text “COVID” to 832-479-2135. You can also reach a trained crisis counselor through the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 800-273-8255 or texting 741741.
This month, the Texas’ COVID-19 positivity rate — the percentage of tests with positive results — soared to its highest peak yet amid the onset of the highly transmissible omicron variant.
With the most recent surge in cases came a renewed reliance on testing. During the holiday season, Texans scrambled to secure at-home tests and testing appointments, draining local pharmacies’ stock and putting a strain on the state’s already worn-out health care system. With some of the major testing sites that had opened during the early months of the pandemic now closed, Gov. Greg Abbott on New Year’s Eve called on the federal government to roll out more testing sites across the state.
