TEXAS — According to data made available by Johns Hopkins University, Texas has surpassed 1 million total confirmed cases of COVID-19, becoming the first state to reach the unfortunate milestone.

Cases have been increasing rapidly in Texas and across the nation as the holidays approach, and that is particularly apparent in El Paso and Lubbock, two cities that are struggling with virus spread and resultant hospitalizations.

On Wednesday, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced he has directed additional resources to those regions. That includes medical personnel, protective equipment, and mobile testing sites.

"The State of Texas is ensuring that our communities hit the hardest by COVID-19 have the resources and support they need to keep people safe and bring hospitalization rates back down," Abbott wrote in a release. "We continue to work closely with local officials in El Paso and Lubbock to meet the needs of each community and mitigate the spread of this virus."

Specifically, two Auxiliary Medical Units have been deployed to Lubbock to help with hospital surge capacity. Additional medical personnel have been sent to the Panhandle and South Plains.

In El Paso, the Alternate Care Site, located in the city’s convention center, will be expanded from 65 beds to 100 beds by Friday. Last week, three U.S. Air Force Medical Specialty Teams were deployed to the area to assist hospitals.

El Paso County has put a shutdown order and a curfew in place, but cases continue to rise.