Texas reports more than 12,000 new coronavirus cases when the holidays come

November 26: The 7-day average of new cases continued to exceed 10,000, tripled from the beginning of October. The test is also at a record level. Meanwhile, the number of Texas people hospitalized for COVID-19 more than doubled during the same period. The situation in El Paso is particularly dire, and experts are worried that holidays can already exacerbate dangerous situations.

How did you get here

Based on Governor Greg Abbott’s economic recovery plan, the business resumed in May. However, Abbott said he suspended further plans in June, curtailed other plans, and told one TV station that he regretted the bar reopening too early.

Due to the dramatic increase in hospitalizations in June and July, Abbott issued state-wide orders requiring most Texas people to wear masks in public spaces. Experts say this may have led to stagnation at the case and hospital level. In September, that number dropped to levels not seen since June, and Abbott relaxed restrictions on restaurants, bars, and other businesses in areas of the state with stable hospitalization levels. But as cases and hospitalizations increase again, public health professionals and local officials say that the loopholes that allow the bar to reopen as a restaurant are behind the increase, as well as widespread fatigue. I was worried that it was one.

Where are most cases in Texas?

As of November 26, the state has reported 1,143,616 confirmed cases in 254 counties since the pandemic began. DSHS will only report cases of coronavirus identified in each county. The state does not include cases that may have been found by rapid-resulting antigen testing. These totals may differ from those reported by the county and city health departments. Tribune measures both the number of cases in each county and the case rate per 1,000 inhabitants.

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Coronavirus spread throughout Texas

Case rates per 1,000 inhabitants are high in Moore County, Panhandle, where early outbreaks were associated with meat packaging factories, and in counties with state prisons such as Childress, Walker, and Jones. South Texas and Coastal Bend emerged as hotspots in July, and in counties with college towns such as Lubbock and Brazos, cases surged when students returned to campus in late August. The recent surge in October has been felt seriously in El Paso, Lubbock and Amarillo, with widespread malaise accelerating virus transmission throughout the state, experts say.

How many people are in the hospital?

On November 26, at least 8,706 inpatients in Texas were confirmed to be infected with the coronavirus. The data do not consider people who are hospitalized but have not been tested positive, and the Texas Department of Health states that some hospitals may be missing from the daily count. I will.

Current total number of hospitalizations

According to the state, about 2% to 6% of Texas hospitals do not report daily admission data. The average number of hospitalizations reported over the last 7 days shows how the situation has changed over time by not emphasizing daily fluctuations. Over 9% of hospitals report incomplete data, which is outside the general range of missing data.

On November 26, the state reported 11,537 manned beds, including 783 manned ICU beds available throughout the state. COVID-19 patients currently account for 13.3% of all beds.

ICU beds available throughout the state

On April 9, the state began reporting the number of beds in the intensive care unit (ICU) available in Texas hospitals. These special beds accommodate the most life-threatening patients and include equipment such as ventilators and heart rate monitors. The ICU unit also has trained staff to care for critically ill patients.

Regional inpatient COVID-19 patients

The percentage of beds used by COVID-19 patients in each trauma service area shows how the virus is currently affecting hospitals in different parts of the state. In areas where this is less than 15%, companies can resume further if the county government opts in. Areas that exceed this mark for seven consecutive days will be disqualified.

How many people have died?

The first coronavirus-related death in Texas occurred on March 16 in Matagorda County. As of November 26, 21,156 virus-positive people have died.

On July 27, DSHS began reporting deaths based on a death certificate stating the cause of death as COVID-19, rather than relying on counts published by local and community health departments. On that day, the state added more than 400 previously unreported deaths to the cumulative total. This does not include the deaths of people with COVID-19 who died from unrelated causes. The death certificate must be submitted within 10 days by law.

Due to this change, it is not possible to compare mortality rates around July 27th.

Experts say the official state deaths are probably underestimated.

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How is the number of cases increasing every day?

When looking at trends, the state relies on confirmed cases of coronavirus, based on criteria published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and is not a possible case. However, the DSHS may mistakenly include a possible case for a particular county. If found, they will be deleted.

These numbers do not include the results of tens of thousands of rapid antigen test results, as the state does not include possible cases. Antigen tests are done with a swab in the nose or throat like any other virus test, but the results are much faster. DSHS reports state-wide results for these tests on a separate dashboard.

If multiple-day cases are added on the same day, report delays and backlogs can also cause a one-day spike.

How has the positive rate changed?

The 7-day average positive rate is calculated by dividing the average of positive tests by the average of all tests performed in the last 7 days. This shows how the situation has changed over time by not emphasizing day-to-day fluctuations. Public health professionals want to keep the positive rate below 6%, ideally much lower.

In early May, Abbott said rates above 10% would be “warning flags.” The state doubled its mark in July before it fell in August. It exceeded 10% again in late October.

In early August, the state began calculating positive rates using only molecular tests, excluding “potential” cases detected by antigen tests.

On September 14, DSHS began publishing a new version of the state’s positive rate, taking into account the date the coronavirus test was conducted. Previously, state charges depended on the date the test was reported to health authorities and verified as a case. This could cause significant price fluctuations after authorities entered a large number of old, unprocessed test results.

How many people have been tested?

As of November 25, Texas has been testing at least 11,533,142 for coronavirus since March. We don’t know how many Texas people have been tested, as some have been tested multiple times. State aggregates also do not include pending tests.

Since mid-May, state officials have reported the number of antibody tests individually. Antibody tests detect if someone has been infected before, while standard virus tests determine if someone is currently infected with the virus.

Related item: Young population leading the number of COVID-19 positive cases

How does this affect the color Texans?

Some areas of the state with the highest mortality rates are primarily Hispanic. Hidalgo and Cameron counties, along the southern border of the state, have killed more than the state’s larger cities, such as Dallas and San Antonio. In El Paso County, more than 900 inhabitants have died from COVID since the outbreak of the pandemic, and El Paso is far ahead of other major metropolitan counties in terms of deaths per 1,000 inhabitants.

Similarly, case data collected early in the pandemic in different parts of the state show the imbalanced effects of the virus on black and Hispanic neighbors. According to an analysis by the UT Health School of Public Health, the areas with the highest positive rates in Harris County during the summer were primarily Hispanic. In Dallas County, the low-income black community also reports some of the highest positive rates.

Texas Tribune Is a non-profit, non-partisan media organization that informs and engages with the Texans on public policy, politics, government, and state-wide issues.

The video above is from the previous story.