Hospitalizations of coronavirus patients in Texas reach all-time high for seventh day
Hospitalizations of patients with the novel coronavirus in Texas reached an all-time high for the seventh consecutive day Thursday.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 2,947 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized Thursday — an increase of 154 patients from the previous record of 2,793 patients hospitalized Wednesday.
Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients have set records for 10 of the past 11 days. Last week, hospitalizations broke records from Monday through Wednesday, before dipping back down to 2,008 patients on Thursday. Since then, hospitalizations have continued to reach new all-time highs.
Hospitalizations are one of the key metrics Gov. Greg Abbott has said he is assessing, and during a press conference Tuesday, Abbott said that the increase in hospitalizations “does raise concerns,” but that “there is no reason right now to be alarmed.”
Abbott said there is an “abundant supply” of available beds, and as of Thursday morning, DSHS reported 13,472 beds, 1,453 intensive care unit beds and 5,834 ventilators available in the state. Abbott has previously raised the possibility of reinstating temporary bans on elective medical procedures to increase hospital capacity if necessary.
Hospitalizations have been trending upward since late May, and have increased by 95% since the 1,511 patients hospitalized on Memorial Day. Before last week, the previous record for hospitalizations was on May 5, with 1,888 patients.
Another metric Abbott has said he is focusing on is the infection rate — how many cases are positive out of the number tested — which has been trending upward since late May. The state’s seven-day average infection rate rose to 8% on June 6, and was at about 6.94% Tuesday.
Texas reached new single-day highs this week, with 4,098 COVID-19 cases reported on Tuesday and 3,129 on Wednesday. Of the cases reported Tuesday, 1,476 were from Texas Department of Criminal Justice testing that had been previously diagnosed but not reported, according to DSHS.
In the wake of Memorial Day weekend, public health experts have said it’s not entirely unexpected that the number of cases is increasing as businesses reopen and people begin to gather and venture outside. However, they stressed that Texans need to continue to take precautions, wear face masks and socially distance.
Amid rising cases and hospitalizations, the mayors of Texas’ largest cities urged Abbott on Tuesday to restore their ability to enforce residents wear face masks. A recent study worked on by researchers from Texas A&M University and UT Austin found that wearing a face mask is one of the most effective ways to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.
After Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff issued a new executive order Wednesday mandating that businesses require employees and customers wear face masks when in close contact, Abbott clarified that local officials have had the ability to impose face mask requirements on businesses — but not individuals.
Across the state mayors and county judge’s said they were considering following in Bexar County’s footsteps. Meanwhile, Fort Worth Mayor Betsy Price, Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said they don’t intend to mandate face masks in businesses.
As cases and hospitalizations rise, the state has continued with its phased reopening of businesses. On Friday restaurants were allowed to increase their capacity to 75%.
This story was originally published June 18, 2020 at 10:52 AM.
