Gov. Greg Abbott has declared a statewide public health disaster as community spread has hit and cases of the new coronavirus have emerged in the state's five most populous regions. An increase in the state's testing capacity could reveal that the number of people infected is higher than currently known.

State and local officials have called for social distancing, extended spring break for colleges and school districts, and prohibited or canceled major events. Here’s what you need to know.

How many people in Texas have coronavirus?

There have been at least 50 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, in Texas.

The largest numbers of cases have mostly been centered in the Houston area, in North Texas and at a federal quarantine site in San Antonio. But all five of the state’s most populous urban areas have cases.

Is coronavirus spreading person to person in Texas?

Yes. Dallas County officials on March 12 announced five new instances of positive coronavirus tests — including one from a patient with no recent travel history. Officials in Montgomery County said March 11 they had identified a patient with coronavirus who doesn't have any recent travel history, the state's first possible instance of community spread. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention defines community spread as the “occurrence of cases for which the source of infection is unknown.”

The first instance of coronavirus spreading from person to person in the U.S. occurred in January, when a 60-year-old woman from Illinois contracted the virus in China and transferred the virus to her spouse, according to the CDC.

What is Texas’ testing capacity?

U.S. health officials conceded in congressional testimony Thursday that the nation’s system for disease testing was “failing.” After Texas' first cases of community spread, scrutiny of the state’s limited testing network became more fierce than ever.

Gov. Greg Abbott expected almost 300 Texans to have been tested either by a state public lab or by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention by the end of the day March 13. The state's testing capacity at public health labs was roughly 270 people per day at that time, but Abbott said capacity will expand into the thousands as more private labs come online.

Texas hospitals with their own laboratory capacity will be able to test for coronavirus under an emergency agreement with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, state officials said.

Are school districts closing?

Yes. Several Texas school districts announced in March that they would extend their spring breaks.

What are colleges and universities doing?

Rice University and Trinity University will not hold in-person classes for the rest of the semester. More than a dozen Texas universities have announced that they would extend students' spring breaks and would at least temporarily switch to online classes. Many colleges and universities have canceled events, prohibited large gatherings, stepped up their sanitation measures and restricted university-sponsored travel.

Have there been major event cancellations in Texas?

Yes. After South by Southwest was canceled, several other major events across the state were either shuttered by organizers or effectively shut down by emergency declarations. For instance, Houston officials canceled the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. As community spread was discovered, Texas COVID-19 cases mounted, officials recommended social distancing and Gov. Greg Abbott declared a statewide emergency, the new normal became canceling or postponing large events.

How will the state’s economy be affected?

Experts say it's too soon to predict the full economic fallout of coronavirus' massive disruptions to regular life and commerce. But entire industries are facing dramatic revenue drops, and Texas business owners are already feeling the financial pain of event cancellations and social distancing. Experts fear COVID-19 will hurt trade in the state.

How does coronavirus compare with the flu?

Coronavirus comes with seasonal flu-like symptoms, including fever, cough, shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. Severe cases of the virus can lead to pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome and kidney failure. It also can be deadly for a small percentage of the population, according to the World Health Organization.

Similar to respiratory illnesses like the flu, coronavirus spreads from person-to-person contact, such as coughing, sneezing or touching infected surfaces, according to the CDC. Both diseases are especially dangerous for people who are older than 65, but the flu is more dangerous for children and pregnant women, according to The New York Times.

However, early reports indicate the coronavirus appears to be more contagious and have a higher fatality rate than the flu. Unlike the flu, there is no vaccine available to prevent or reduce cases of coronavirus.

How long does it take for symptoms to start showing?

The time between catching COVID-19 and showing symptoms — the incubation period — ranges from one to 14 days, most commonly five days, according to the World Health Organization. The WHO plans to update that estimate as more information is gathered.

What’s the fatality rate for coronavirus?

"Globally, about 3.4% of reported COVID-19 cases have died. By comparison, seasonal flu generally kills far fewer than 1% of those infected," WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said March 4. The seasonal flu has a mortality rate of about 0.1%.

According to a paper published by the Journal of the American Medical Association, the fatality rates for the elderly or people with other underlying health conditions can be much higher — as high as 14% for people over the age of 80.

It is important to note that it is very early and data is still being gathered, so the fatality rate for COVID-19 could change, according to PBS NewsHour.

What is the course of the virus? How long does it last?

It depends. Once someone is infected, he or she can face symptoms from days to weeks depending on the severity of the illness. Some patients show only mild symptoms and may not initially require hospitalization, while other patients’ symptoms worsen to an infection of the lower respiratory tract in the second week of illness. For this reason, all patients should closely monitor their symptoms.

There are some risk factors for progression to more severe illness, including older age and underlying conditions like lung disease, cancer, heart failure, cerebrovascular disease, renal disease, liver disease, diabetes, immunocompromising conditions and pregnancy, according to the CDC.

“The severity seems to mostly be with older individuals and individuals with underlying debilitating conditions,” said Peter Hotez, professor and dean at the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine. “Also, health care workers seem to get sicker than other populations.”

Does the flu shot help you or help lessen the severity of coronavirus if you get it?

No. The flu shot builds up an immunity specifically to the flu, so it won’t lessen the severity of or protect from COVID-19.

It could hypothetically help since “if someone got sick with the flu, and if their body was run down overall, then theoretically they might be more vulnerable to the effects of COVID-19 infection,” said Monica Schoch-Spana, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

But doctors are still urging people to get the flu shot in the hopes of freeing up crucial hospital beds.

Does Texas have tests for the coronavirus? What is testing like? How do I get tested?

A doctor can determine whether the test is necessary using guidance from the CDC. The test includes a mouth and nose swab. That sample is then sent to the nearest public health lab for testing.

Abbott said March 13 that Texas will soon have a dramatic increase in testing capabilities, including the announcement of the first drive-through testing capabilities in San Antonio "with more to come."

I saw a headline about a possible vaccine for the coronavirus. Is that good news?

While it is true researchers are testing possible solutions, they are almost certainly a long way off from a commercially available vaccine that could prevent the virus. Don’t expect anything immediate.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told CNN it would take around a year for a potential vaccine to be approved. He said the vaccine would need to go through a Phase 1 clinical trial with a few dozen people for three months and then be tested in a second trial with hundreds of people for six to eight months, according to CNN.

How long does the virus live on surfaces?

Studies suggest it may last for a few hours or up to several days, depending on the type of surface and the temperature and humidity of the room, according to the World Health Organization. Tests by the U.S. government and scientists found it can last up to four hours on copper, up to 24 hours on cardboard and up to two to three days on plastic and stainless steel.

Experts advise cleaning frequently touched surfaces — like doorknobs and elevator buttons — with disinfectant and recommend that people wash their hands frequently with an alcohol-based hand sanitizer or soap and water, and avoiding touching their eyes, mouth or nose.

However, transmission of the virus from a contaminated surface to a person has not yet been recorded, according to the CDC.

What things can parents do to help protect our children besides making sure our kids wash their hands and are vaccinated?

The CDC recommends children take the same preventive measures as adults: washing hands, avoiding contact with those who are sick and staying up to date on vaccinations. They note there is no evidence children are more susceptible to the virus than adults, and in China, the majority of cases — and the majority of severe symptoms — occur in adults.

Edgar Walters contributed to this report.

Disclosure: Baylor College of Medicine, Rice University, the University of Texas at Austin, the University of Texas at San Antonio, SXSW and Texas Tech University have been financial supporters of The Texas Tribune, a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization that is funded in part by donations from members, foundations and corporate sponsors. Financial supporters play no role in the Tribune’s journalism. Find a complete list of them here.