2 fully-vaccinated El Pasoans among 9 latest Covid deaths

EL PASO, Texas -- Nine more El Pasoans died from Covid-19 over the past week, with two of those being breakthrough deaths involving fully vaccinated individuals, the El Department of Public Health announced Monday.

Eight of the nine deaths involved people with underlying health conditions; the lone death that didn't involve underlying issues was the result of the person not being vaccinated, officials indicated.

The total number of breakthrough deaths now stands at 18.

RELATED STORY: Covid-19 cases on decline as El Paso nears herd immunity

Meanwhile, 628 new virus cases were reported over the past week in El Paso, with 169 of those being breakthrough infections. Active cases in El Paso County are currently over 1,500 - with 128 El Pasoans hospitalized, including 45 in intensive care.

City/County Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza told City Council Monday that El Paso is seeing a downward trend in cases compared to two weeks ago. Infections have fallen by over 35% since the end of August.

He added that outbreaks in school age kids are also decreasing, dropping by more than 40% as the vaccination rate for those aged 12 to 15 in the county has now jumped to 69%.

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