El Paso tops 11,000 virus cases; 2 more deaths, hospitalizations jump, new all-time ICU record

EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso County topped 11,000 total coronavirus cases on Saturday with the addition of 289 new infections, health officials said.

Two more deaths were reported, bringing the fatality count to 179, as the county morgue approached capacity and officials brought in refrigerated trailers in the event they are needed to store bodies. With Saturday's additions, there have been 29 virus deaths in the past week.

The latest victims were identified as a man in his 40s and another in his 50s, both with underlying health conditions.

Hospitalizations due to the virus jumped by 24 patients from Friday to Saturday, going from 268 to 292, as El Paso's medical facilities deal with potential staff shortages because of the surge in those needing care.

The number of those listed in hospital intensive care units grew by seven in a day to reach a new all-time high of 109; there were 38 people needing ventilators as of Saturday.

Of the county's 11,132 cumulative infections during the pandemic, 3,700 are currently active cases - which is an increase of 101 in the past 24 hours. So far in July, virus cases have nearly doubled.

There have been 5,204 new cases reported thus far this month, compared to 3,164 for all of last month. Almost half of El Paso's total infections since the outbreak began in March have occurred since the start of July.

The health department's rolling seven-day average positivity rate increased from 9.87% Friday to 10.25% Saturday. That means more than one in every ten El Pasoans getting tested for the virus are found to be infected.

Also, Saturday's data showed nearly one out of every five people testing positive have no outward symptoms - so you wouldn't be able to tell that they are virus carriers.

Recoveries from the virus are listed at 7,253, although it's important to understand that research shows some recovered persons can still have long-term health issues stemming from contracting the virus.

Full health department virus data can be found by clicking here.