Hospitalizations of coronavirus patients in Texas break another record Monday
Hospitalizations of patients with the novel coronavirus hit an all-time high Monday in Texas, following a week where records were broken nearly every day as figures continued to rise.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 2,326 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized — an increase of 39 patients from the previous record of 2,287 patients Sunday.
In the last eight days, hospitalizations in Texas have broke records for seven of them, with 1,935 patients last Monday, 2,056 on Tuesday, and 2,153 patients on Wednesday. Hospitalizations dipped slightly on Thursday to 2,008 and went on to hit records with 2,166 patients Friday, 2,242 patients Saturday and 2,287 patients Sunday.
Hospitalizations have been trending upward since late May, and have increased by nearly 54% 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.
Hospitalizations and the rate of positive cases are two of the key metrics Gov. Greg Abbott has said he is focusing on. In interviews with local televisions across the state Monday afternoon, he reiterated that Texas’ hospital capacity remains plentiful.
“Even though more hospital beds are occupied by those who have COVID-19, there are an abundant number of hospital beds that are available, whether it be in Lubbock or these large cities,” Abbott KLBK-TV in Lubbock on Monday. “So we will be able to make sure that we can treat and provide healthcare for anyone who tests positive for COVID-19.”
As of Monday afternoon, DSHS reported 14,525 available hospital beds, more than 1,600 intensive care unit beds and more than 5,600 available ventilators. Abbott has previously raised the possibility of reinstating temporary bans on elective medical procedures to increase hospital capacity if needed.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth region, hospitalizations of COVID-19 have been on the rise since early June, reaching 728 hospitalizations on Sunday, according to DSHS data by Trauma Service Area.
Chris Van Deusen, a spokesman for DSHS, wrote in an email Monday that the increases in the last week have largely come from the state’s urban areas, like Houston, DFW, San Antonio and in the Rio Grande Valley, while hospitalizations have been stable or declining elsewhere.
“There hasn’t been a major change in the situation since late last week,” Van Deusen wrote, stressing there is plenty of capacity. “We’re staying in close contact with the health care system to determine whether there are actions the state needs to take to provide support.”
COVID-19 Hospitalizations over Time
Coronavirus daily hospitalization counts in Texas and the larger Trauma Service Areas, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
Texas has launched its third phase of reopenings amid the pandemic, and virtually all businesses are allowed to open their doors to a limited number of customers. Restaurants were permitted to increase their capacity to 75% Friday.
When asked whether he anticipates reinstating stay-at-home orders or restrictions, Abbott told KRIS-TV in Corpus Christi that the hope is to not have to close businesses down, and that Texans need to keep wearing face masks and maintain social distancing in order to ensure that.
“Our goal is to make sure that we do not have to take steps backward and begin to close things down, that we are able to continue things — businesses being open — at least as much as they are now,” Abbott said. “Obviously, we would prefer to be able to go even more in opening up businesses.”
Abbott said there has been rise, in particular, of new cases in Texans in their 20s, which is “the age group that’s going to bars a whole lot more.”
The state’s infection rate — how many cases are positive out of the number tested — has been trending upward since late May. The seven-day average infection rate was at 4.27% on May 26. Since then, it hit a high of 8% on June 6, and was at 6.11% Sunday.
On Wednesday, Texas also reported a single-day high of 2,504 new coronavirus cases, dwarfing the previous high by 555 cases. Officials have attributed a rise in cases, in part, to an increase in mass testing in hot spots like prisons, nursing homes and meat packing plants.
As of Sunday afternoon, there had been over 87,854 confirmed COVID-19 cases and at least 1,976 COVID-19 related deaths.
Public health experts have said it’s not entirely unexpected that the number of cases is increasing as more businesses reopen and people begin to gather and venture outside. However, they stressed that in light of the recent uptick in hospitalizations and cases, Texans must continue to take precautions and socially distance as much as possible.
A recent study 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.
“If you wear a face mask, if you sanitize your hands, if you maintain your distance, you can go to the grocery store, you can go to the beach, you can go to work,” Abbott told KRIS-TV. “But if you don’t follow those practices, you’re going to increase the chances that you get COVID-19.”
This story was originally published June 15, 2020 at 3:37 PM.
