El Paso City Council told greatest virus exposure is at stores; nursing homes are deadliest clusters

EL PASO, Texas -- In a presentation to El Paso City Council on Monday, the county's top doctor outlined the harmful impact the coronavirus is having on the community.

Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza's key indicators paint a disturbing picture. Those El Pasoans testing positive for the virus has increased by 36% recently - while hospitalizations are up 17%, ICU patients are up 40% and the death rate has grown by 11%.

The report also reveals new details about how the virus is spreading, with nearly half of all cases attributed to community spread. Close contact with someone infected is at roughly 40% while travel is a factor in the smallest number of cases.

Retail stores are responsible for the greatest amount of virus exposure, according to Ocaranza's data, by a 2 to 1 margin over any other source listed. Travel to Mexico and Restaurants basically tie for second on the list - while parties, large gatherings and gyms also are cited for significant amounts of exposure risk.

Dr. Ocarnza cites infection clusters being most prominent in El Paso's nursing homes and jail/prison facilities - which each lead medical and healthcare operations in cases by roughly 2 to 1. By far, the deadliest clusters can be found in nursing homes, which have produced 49 deaths so far - significantly more than the death toll in any other grouping.

You can view Dr. Ocaranza's presentation to council below.