No new El Paso virus deaths, but infections remain ‘stubbornly high’

EL PASO, Texas -- El Paso public health officials on Sunday reported no new deaths from Covid-19, but the number of added cases continued to grow by 223.

While the total number of virus deaths remained at 2,496, the cumulative case count rose to 132,355 - of which 2,523 are active infections.

As of Sunday, officials said 572,164 vaccine doses had been administered to El Pasoans.

But while the vaccination rate has now hit a milestone, an analyst notes that virus infections remain "stubbornly high."

"More than half of eligible El Pasoans have now received at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and a third are fully vaccinated," writes El Paso Matters CEO Bob Moore in his weekly examination of virus data. "Still, the number of new infections has been stuck at a high level for five weeks and the number of people hospitalized because of the coronavirus is creeping back up."

Hospitalizations in El Paso due to virus-related illness on Sunday totaled 174, of which 54 of those patients were listed in intensive care and 25 required the use of ventilators.

For a complete look at the El Paso health department's Covid-19 data, visit EPstrong.org.