AUSTIN – Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and the Texas Division of Emergency Management (TDEM) have surged medical personnel, equipment, testing supplies, and personal protective equipment (PPE) to Laredo to help combat COVID-19 and support hospitals in the region. 

DSHS has deployed a total of 470 staff to Laredo and delivered ventilators, infusers, oxygen concentrators, hospital beds, cardiac monitors, oxygen flowmeters, IV poles, BiPAP machines, and more. Over 87,000 COVID-19 test kits have been provided to the City of Laredo Health Department and the Laredo Fire Department. DSHS has supplied 8 auxiliary medical units and ambulances as requested. Additionally, the State of Texas has provided over 29,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines to date with more on the way.

TDEM and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have provided Laredo and Webb County with over 33.9 million pieces of PPE, including over 5.9 million masks, over 25.4 million gloves, 260,000 face shields, and nearly one million gowns and coveralls. State testing teams, coordinated by TDEM, have tested over 38,000 specimens at 29 locations throughout Laredo and Webb County. 

“The State of Texas is working closely with Laredo officials to provide support that will help bring hospitalizations down, treat COVID-positive patients, and mitigate the spread of the virus,” said Governor Abbott. “We will continue to ensure that communities across the Lone Star State have what they need to effectively respond to COVID-19.”