‘It is too early’: San Antonio doctor says Abbott’s decisions could lead to more cases and deaths

Gov. Greg Abbott is lifting the face mask mandate next Wednesday. A local doctor says it’s too soon.

Dr. Ray Altamirano, the owner of Casa Salud Family Medicine Clinic, said we can expect to see a spike in cases once the face mask mandate is lifted. Abbott also said he’s opening Texas “100 percent,” which Altamirano says he understands as many businesses are looking to get as much revenue as possible during a tough time.

However, he says having the no face mask order at the same time isn’t the best decision.

RELATED: ‘This is a reckless decision’: Texas leaders react to Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement

“It does come with a risk,” he said. “I’d like to see more Texans vaccinated before we go on with something like this but it looks like it will happen in Texas anyway.”

According to Abbott, nearly 5.7 million vaccine shots have been administered to Texas. He says by next Wednesday about seven million will have been administered in Texas. Currently, both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses before individuals are considered fully vaccinated. Altamirano said he is hoping this encourages others to get vaccinated as he’s thinking about how the lift of the face mask mandate could lead to more deaths and cases.

“People are still dying every day across the state,” the local doctor said. “As a physician, that crosses my mind. It is too early to go this route. I understand the economic standpoint, but I see it as there are many lives at stake here.”

With Abbott’s actions, Altamirano said the responsibility is now on the individual to protect not only themselves but others around them. He said he hopes others continue to wear face masks and practice social distancing, as he doesn’t want to see another massive COVID-19 spike that causes stress on local hospitals.

RELATED: San Antonio restaurant owners dish on Gov. Abbott’s ruling to fully reopen Texas

“We just started showing improvements and decline in cases these past few weeks, and it’s up to us to continue that,” Altamirano said. “It’s not really about you. It’s those around you.”

The Texas Hospital Association also believes Texans should still be wearing face masks regardless of Abbott’s lift.

“We’re asking folks to continue masking. We know it works,” the association tweeted after Abbott’s announcement. “It protects health care workers and those around you. More infectious variants are circulating in Texas, and millions of more people need to be vaccinated. We should still be doing everything we can to protect each other.”

In San Antonio, local officials reported 288 new COVID-19 cases on Monday, bringing the total cases in Bexar County to 196,816 cases. Since the pandemic started in March, there have been 2,670 cases. Case numbers are expected to be skewed following February’s winter storms, which closed testing centers across the state for several days on end.

According to the Washington Post, Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R) also lifted his state’s mask mandate on Tuesday. However, the newspaper reports Texas is the largest state to do so during the coronavirus pandemic.

Priscilla Aguirre is a general assignment reporter for MySA.com | [email protected] | @CillaAguirre

Leave a Reply