U.S. Congresswoman Veronica Escobar, a Democrat from El Paso, said recently that when it comes to COVID-19 testing, Texas is “near the bottom or the very bottom when it comes to testing, per capita.”
Is that a fact?
PolitiFact Texas fact-checker Madlin Mekelburg investigated Escobar’s claim, which she made during a webcast on April 22, hosted by the Wilson Center’s Mexico Institute. The discussion focused on the coronavirus in communities along the U.S.-Mexico border. Escobar compared low testing rates in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, across the border from El Paso, with low rates in Texas.
“Unfortunately, the state of Chihuahua, like the state of Texas, has been behind on testing,” Escobar said. “Texas, I believe, either is near the bottom or at the very bottom when it comes to testing, per capita, so the numbers are probably far greater than what is being reported.”
Hear how Escobar’s claim scored in the player above.
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