1 new El Paso death; drop in infections cited as ‘important milestone in fight against Covid-19’

EL PASO, Texas – El Paso public health officials announced one new Covid-19 death on Sunday involving a man in his 70s, bringing the total number of pandemic fatalities in El Paso County to 2,568.

Officials also reported 73 added coronavirus cases on Sunday, saying the number of active infections among El Pasoans currently totals 1,861.

"El Paso has reached perhaps its most important milestone in the fight against Covid-19," El Paso Matters CEO Bob Moore wrote Sunday in his weekly analysis of local virus data. "New Covid-19 infections in El Paso plunged to the lowest level in 11 months... with new Covid-19 infections falling below 500 in a week for the first time since June 2020."

As of Sunday, there were 118 El Pasoans hospitalized due to virus-related illness, with 37 patients listed in intensive care and 28 requiring ventilators.

"The number of Covid-19 patients in El Paso hospitals fell to its lowest level in eight months, while Covid-19 patients requiring treatment in intensive care units was the lowest in a year," Moore observed.

While infections and hospitalization rates show very encouraging trends, with less than half of all eligible El Pasoans having been fully vaccinated as of this weekend, Moore finds cause for concern.

"Covid-19 vaccinations continued to fall precipitously (this past week), an indication that El Paso — like the country as a whole — is unlikely to reach herd immunity," he concluded.

Complete El Paso health department Covid-19 data can be found at EPstrong.org.