Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has tested positive for coronavirus, his office said on Tuesday.
Abbott’s office said he got the positive result after a routine daily COVID test. He is currently receiving Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody treatment.Â
“Governor Abbott is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, in good health, and currently experiencing no symptoms,” Mark Miner, the governor’s communications director, said in a statement. “Everyone that the Governor has been in close contact with today has been notified. Texas First Lady Cecilia Abbott tested negative.”
Breakthrough COVID infections are rare and usually cause milder symptoms or asymptomatic cases.
Abbott was seen mingling with guests at a fundraiser on Monday evening in Dallas. He was not wearing a mask.
News of Abbott’s positive test results comes as Texas is experiencing a surge in new cases due to the very transmissible delta variant. Despite the surge Abbott remains opposed to efforts to control the spread of the virus in the state.
Last month he issued an executive order banning mask and vaccine mandates saying at the time Texans “have the individual right and responsibility to decide for themselves and their children whether they will wear masks, open their businesses, and engage in leisure activities.”
A number of school districts have defied the order so far and implemented mask mandates for students. However, Abbott’s order was recently upheld by the state Supreme Court, according to NBC News.
Abbott’s office defended the order saying it was meant to provide “clarity and uniformity” for the state’s COVID-19 response.
