All 5 El Pasoans to die of Covid in past week weren’t vaccinated
EL PASO, Texas -- Five El Pasoans died in the county from Covid-19 over the past week - but for the first time in recent weeks, health officials said Tuesday that all of those deaths involved persons who weren't vaccinated.
However, there were 159 new "breakthrough" infections reported involving those who were vaccinated, El Paso health department officials indicated.
All five of the latest fatality victims had underlying health conditions and ranged in age from their 50s to 80s. They included:
- 3 men in his 50s
- 1 woman in her 70s
- 1 woman in her 80s
The number of vaccinated El Pasoans who have died from the virus remained at just 16, officials said. The total number of El Paso Covid-19 deaths throughout the pandemic now stands at 2,762.
Meantime, health leaders reported 629 new Covid-19 cases in the past week, of which 159 were so-called "breakthrough" infections involving vaccinated El Pasoans. It was the fourth week in a row where the number of new "breakthrough" cases occurring in El Paso County ranged between 150 and 200.
Officials said there were no new cases to report of the highly-contagious Delta variant occurring in El Paso County. The number of confirmed cases to date remained at 13.
Currently, officials said there are 1,753 total active virus cases in the community. That represented a drop in active infections among El Pasoans, which stood at 1,937 during the prior week. But local health officials urged those who traveled or participated in large gatherings over the Labor Day holiday weekend - something the CDC had recommended to avoid - to get tested for Covid-19 exposure.
Health officials advised that the number of El Pasoans believed to have recovered from Covid-19 throughout the pandemic was 137,848. However, doctors say some recovered persons may still experience lasting health impacts from virus infection.
Complete El Paso health department data on Covid-19 can be found online at EPstrong.org.
