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Top advisor to Gov. Greg Abbott reveals concerns, reasons for optimism about spread of COVID-19 in Texas

In a one-on-one interview, Dr. John Zerwas shared his thoughts on current case and hospitalization trends, and the start of the new school year.

TYLER, Texas — The return of school will mark a new phase in the fight against the novel coronavirus pandemic.

On Wednesday, CBS19 spoke with one of Governor Greg Abbott’s top advisors about his concerns and his reasons for hope.

If the numbers tell a story, then Dr. John Zerwas says Texas is several chapters into a mystery. He sees conditions getting better since a statewide mask requirement and limits on gatherings went into effect last month.

“What we know is that these efforts work,” Zerwas stated. “Worked back in March and April and it’s working now, post Fourth of July.”

Zerwas, the Executive Vice Chancellor for Health Affairs of the UT System, is a member of both the Task Force to Reopen Texas and the Supply Chain Strike Force, making him one of the key figures in helping Texas slow the virus. Just as the trends have varied between increased spread of COVID-19 and reduced spread, Zerwas says the future is unknown.

“There’s going to be a number of activities in the fall that we haven’t had, you know, during the summer,” he explained. “And I think the key, and really, the concern for me is that we continue to maintain the vigilance around these efforts that Texans have demonstrated to allow us to see this improvement so far.”

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The start of school will be the biggest change. A handful of districts have already started their 2020-21 school years, while others will begin in the next couple weeks. Most will welcome students back into their buildings for the first time since March, but some will begin the year online-only. The decisions are being left to the school boards and administrators in each district, marking an apparent change in strategy from Gov. Abbott. He allowed municipalities to take the lead on virus prevention efforts at the beginning of the pandemic but transitioned to a more statewide approach by the end of April. Zerwas says he agrees with the decision to let each district decide how it will operate.

“It’s just a recognition that the school districts are unique and different,” he said. “There’s 1,100 of them across the states. Texas is essentially five states in one, and there’s a lot of difference between what’s going on out in El Paso versus far East Texas.

“There are elected officials—school board members—that have their hands closest to the circumstances in their area. There are superintendents that are even closer to it. And I think this is really the place that the decisions need to be made.”

While Zerwas has reservations about the spread of the virus in Texas, he sees hope in the fact that fewer patients are in the state’s hospitals, and early-stage drug trials are showing promise in protecting the elderly from COVID-19.

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“And to have something like that, that could be utilized to protect those individuals would allow them to get back to some normalcy,” he said. “It would allow them to have family and visitors back in that for months now they’ve been without.”

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 8,706 more cases of COVID-19 and 235 more deaths on Wednesday. The state has averaged more than 230 deaths per day over the last week. The state reported that 8,455 COVID-19 patients were being treated in Texas hospitals, the fewest since July 5.

RELATED: Is Texas turning the corner in the fight against coronavirus?

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