‘Dire situation’: Active El Paso virus cases along with hospital, ICU & ventilator patients all set records
EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso's top doctor said the county faces a "very dire situation right now" as it set all-time highs Monday for active infections along with hospitalizations, intensive care unit and respirator usage due to Covid-19.
"We are seeing uncontrolled spread," Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza told Commissioners Court during a meeting late Monday afternoon.
It came after El Paso County, for a 13th straight day, set a record high for active coronavirus cases - which have now reached 8,350.
The latest milestone was fueled by 555 new daily infections reported by health officials along with 13 delayed positive results.
The number of new virus cases has risen roughly 500% in El Paso over the past two weeks, ABC News reported. Mayor Dee Margo blamed "bars gaming the system" - by masquerading as restaurants - for driving much of the recent community spread.
Record numbers of hospitalizations, intensive care patients and people on ventilators were also reported Monday. The breakdown is as follows:
• 496 patients currently hospitalized (up by 30)
• 134 patients in intensive care units (up by 5)
• 64 patients requiring ventilators (up by 9)
No new deaths were reported Monday, the death toll remained at 557.
The cumulative number of cases stands at 33,326, while total recoveries reached 24,268. As ABC-7 has previously reported, doctors and medical research suggest that some recovered persons may face long-term health consequences as a result of having been infected with the virus.
