El Paso begins New Year reporting half-dozen more Covid-19 deaths

EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso health officials began the New Year by confirming a half-dozen additional deaths due to Covid-19, raising the pandemic fatality total to 1,473.

Thew new deaths, while reported on Jan. 1, all actually occurred during the month of December. The latest victims included 2 men and a woman in their 60s, a man and a woman each in their 70s, and one woman in her 90s.

There were also 544 deaths listed as under investigation to start the New Year. These are suspected Covid-19 fatalities that have yet to be confirmed, although historically the majority of suspected deaths end up being confirmed by health authorities.

Health officials on Friday morning also reported 338 new virus cases along with 28 delayed positives. The number of active infections among El Pasoans reached 34,151, with officials noting that about 15% of those are people who showed no symptoms despite having contracted the virus.

Hospitalizations, already at their lowest level since mid-October, continued to see decline to begin the year. As of Friday, the number of virus patients in El Paso hospitals dropped to 380, with 141 listed in intensive care and 109 requiring ventilators.

El Paso's rolling 7-day positivity rate average, which is the percentage of all tests performed that show someone has Covid-19, stands just shy of 10%. The cumulative positivity rate is nearly 13%. Experts at Johns Hopkins University say the target positivity rate for communities should be 5% or lower.

The cumulative case count throughout the pandemic stood at 98,906 in El Paso County, with 62,706 of those listed as having recovered. However, doctors indicate that some recovered persons may still experience long-term health impacts as a result of having been infected.

Complete El Paso health department data on Covid-19 can be found online at EPStrong.org.