Texas adds more than 8,000 new COVID cases and sees record hospitalizations Wednesday
New cases of the novel coronavirus rocketed past the 8,000 threshold Wednesday in Texas, and hospitalizations reached an all-time high.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, the state reported 8,076 new cases Wednesday — a jump of 1,101 cases from the previous record of 6,975 cases Tuesday. It’s the largest single-day high in Texas since the start of the pandemic, and the first time new cases have surpassed both the 7,000 and 8,000 benchmarks.
Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients rose to 6,904 Wednesday, an increase of 371 from Tuesday’s previous high of 6,533.
The state also reported 57 more deaths — the second highest number since the start of the pandemic — bringing Texas’ total COVID-19 related deaths to at least 2,481.
Estimated active cases over time
Coronavirus daily active case estimates by local counties in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
Just last Tuesday, Texas had passed the 4,000 threshold in new daily cases. Hospitalizations have risen nearly every day of June and have more than quadrupled since the 1,511 patients hospitalized on Memorial Day.
The infection rate — the number of positive cases out of those tested — has also been trending upward since late May. Since last Friday, the state’s seven day-average infection rate has been above 13%. It was at 13.58% as of Tuesday. Those are the highest levels since mid-April.
Amid all-time highs in new cases and hospitalizations, Gov. Greg Abbott struck a newly urgent tone and took some of the most significant steps yet to reverse Texas’ phased reopening of businesses and curb the virus’ spread.
On Tuesday, Abbott extended his ban on elective medical procedures to four South Texas counties in an effort to ensure sufficient capacity to treat COVID-19 patients. Across the state, hospitals in eight counties — including Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis — must postpone surgeries and procedures that aren’t medically necessary to correct a serious medical condition or to preserve the life of a patient. Procedures that would not deplete hospital capacity needed for COVID-19 patients are exempt.
Elective procedures have not yet been banned in Tarrant County. Local hospital officials have emphasized that they have sufficient capacity to treat patients, and Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said hospitals could add roughly 2,300 beds if necessary.
But if new cases of the coronavirus continue to grow at the current pace, Tarrant County hospitals could reach their base capacity in about three weeks, said Rajesh Nandy, an associate professor of biostatistics and epidemiology in the UNT Health Science Center’s School of Public Health.
As of Wednesday afternoon, DSHS reported 12,894 available hospital beds, 1,322 intensive care unit beds and 5,622 available ventilators across the state.
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.
Citing an infection rate of over 10%, Abbott also ordered bars and rafting and tubing businesses to shut down last Friday. Restaurants were required to reduce their capacity from 75% to 50% and most outdoor gatherings of 100 people or more were banned unless approved by local officials.
Abbott attributed the rise in COVID-19 cases “largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars,” and told KDFW-TV in Dallas Monday night that he hopes to see the virus’ spread slow by shutting bars down, “with the goal to make sure they are able to reopen as soon as possible.”
Abbott told KVII-TV in Amarillo Wednesday night that his recent restrictions were enacted, “knowing that numbers like this were coming,” and stressed that “we also know that there could be even more very dangerous numbers that will be coming in.”
Bar owners have pushed back against the closure, suing Abbott and the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission in multiple state and federal lawsuits. Meanwhile, city and county officials from Texas’ largest metro areas have called on Abbott to allow greater local control, with Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins requesting a statewide mask mandate, a stay-at-home order for 30 days and the closure of all businesses and venues where wearing masks and staying six feet apart isn’t feasible.
It was a call Democratic lawmakers echoed Wednesday.
“The record-breaking amount of cases is Governor Abbott’s responsibility — a governor who refuses to implement common-sense policies like mandating a mask,” Rep. Toni Rose, a Democrat from Dallas, said during a Texas Democratic Party press conference.
Abbott has doubled down on the need for Texans to recommit to best practices — like staying home as much as possible and wearing a face mask — and warned of future restrictions if the virus continues to grow.
But when asked if he would mandate face masks statewide, Abbott has said such a requirement wouldn’t be practical in areas of the state with fewer cases, and noted that a majority of Texans are already required to do so in businesses under recent local orders.
“Could there be the need to expand that more? The answer to that could be yes. It just depends,” Abbott told KXII-TV in Sherman Monday night.
This story was originally published July 1, 2020 at 4:17 PM.
