Dr. Umair A. Shah of Harris County Public Health talks to the Lead host Jack Tapper about the reasons the state has recently shown a sharp uptick in coronavirus cases.

Dr. Umair A. Shah of Harris County Public Health weighs in on video of crowded bars and clubs.

In addition to needing more staff to handle rising case numbers, contact-tracing teams also must build trust with people who might be uneasy or scared, said Dr. Umair Shah, executive director for Harris County Public Health in Houston, where an outbreak threatens to overwhelm hospitals.

Harris County officials confirmed another 1,021 new cases of COVID-19 over the June 27-28 weekend, including 908 on June 27 and 113 on June 28. The city of Houston does not report new cases on Sundays, so cases for June 28 only include data from Harris County from outside of the city.

“Have we been having an uptick? Absolutely,” said Elizabeth Perez, a spokesperson for Harris County Public Health. Testing capacity is “maxing out” every day, she said, with scheduled test slots often claimed by 9 a.m.

The Democrats argued withdrawing support would place a heavy burden on the Houston Health Department, Harris County Public Health and their partners. They said losing federal funding for these sites could hinder their continued development of a contact tracing system.

Contact tracer Astrid Zeroual is shown between two computer monitors as she works at Harris County Public Health contact tracing facility, Thursday, June 25, 2020, in Houston. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Wednesday that the state is facing a "massive outbreak" in the coronavirus pandemic and that some new local restrictions may be needed to protect hospital space for new patients.

Dr. Umair Shah of Harris County Public Health said people should wear their masks whenever they leave their homes and keep their distance from others. He also pointed out a recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that said pregnant women are more likely to require hospitalization if they contract COVID-19. “It is up to all of us not to just protect ourselves,” Shah said, stressing the important of working together to protect our community.

Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo is increasing the COVID-19 threat level in the area to red, which means it's severe, and you should stay home.

"Enough is enough. We have a real problem," said Dr. Umair Shah, head of the Harris County Health Department. "I cannot stress enough the severity of this situation."