Abbott asks federal government for help with COVID testing in Texas

• The governor also asked the Biden administration to increase the allocation of monoclonal antibodies to Texas.

What they're saying: "The state of Texas is urging the federal government to step up in this fight and provide the resources necessary to help protect Texans," Abbott said in a news release.

• The governor said the federal assistance "will help us continue to save lives and mitigate the spread of COVID-19."

Threat level: Dallas County public health officials raised the coronavirus risk level, saying there is a high risk of transmission as new cases spike across North Texas and the country.

• U.S. coronavirus cases had already risen by nearly 30% in the two weeks before Christmas.

By the numbers: New statewide daily cases quadrupled since the beginning of December, according to Texas health data.

• On Dec. 1, the state reported 2,645 new confirmed cases and 975 probable cases.
• On Dec. 30, there were 10,892 confirmed cases and 4,708 probable cases.
• The percentage of tests taken that were positive increased from about 8.5% at the beginning of the month to more than 26% by the end of December.