4 new virus deaths in El Paso; ICU hospitalizations reach new high

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The El Paso Department of Public Health reported four coronavirus-related deaths and 205 new cases Friday morning.

The death toll now stands at 177 in El Paso County.

The Health Department identified the victims as a woman in her 70s, and three men in their 90s. All but one of the men in his 90s had underlying health issues.

Hospitalizations dropped from 272 to 268, however the number of patients in the ICU increased to 102. That's a new all-time high. There are 40 patients on ventilators.

There have now been 10,843 confirmed cases. Reported recoveries surpassed 7,000 in El Paso County. That leaves 3,599 active cases, which is a decrease of 109 from Thursday.

The health department is now disclosing the positivity rate. The rolling seven-day average positivity rate is 9.87 percent. In other words, over the past seven days, on average nearly one out of 10 tests done in El Paso are coming back positive.

The cumulative positivity rate in El Paso County is 8.69%.

For a complete look at El Paso's Covid-19 data, click here.