‘Dramatic spike’: More virus deaths, 151 new cases in El Paso on Texas’ deadliest day
EL PASO, Texas — Texas saw its deadliest day of the coronavirus pandemic so far, with state officials reporting 58 deaths during a time span between Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, according to state tabulations.
The Associated Press said the biggest increase in Covid-19-related deaths was in El Paso County, which it indicated reported eight new deaths on Thursday, based on the state's official count.
However, the El Paso health department on Thursday evening noted there were actually just two new deaths, but also a huge increase of 151 additional virus cases - a one-day high since the pandemic's start.
“Today, we have seen a dramatic spike in positive cases, this is due in large part to the increased testing throughout the county," said County/City Health Authority Dr. Hector Ocaranza. "The spike also means that this virus is still very active in our community."
The reason for the difference in the daily death tallies appeared to be a lag in the tabulations by the Texas Department of State Health Services, which finally reflected El Paso deaths from earlier in the week in the numbers it officially reported Thursday.
By the El Paso health department's count, the county had a cumulative total to date of 1,607 confirmed cases and 43 deaths. Health leaders identified the county's two latest fatalities as a man in his 50s and a woman in her 60s.
The TDSHS reported the number of statewide deaths linked to Covid-19 reached 1,216 Thursday, up from 1,158 on Wednesday. State figures also showed 116 virus-related deaths over the past three days across Texas.
The number of confirmed coronavirus cases reported around the state rose by at least 1,800 in one day to almost 44,000 on Thursday. However, the true number is likely higher because many people have not been tested, and studies suggest people can be infected and not feel sick.
The biggest jump in the number of cases reported Thursday came in Dallas County, where 243 new cases were reported, bringing its total to 6,602. That was still second to Harris County, where 205 new cases reported Thursday brought its total to 8,621.
The highest death toll in the state also remained in Harris County, which is the Houston metro area, where five new deaths reported Thursday brought its total to 188.
Below is the latest El Paso coronavirus case locator map and other demographic information on the virus outbreak as provided by the health department.
The map shows the amount of positive cases by zip codes, with the number of cases in red dots: 79821 (6), 79835 (46), 79836 (10), 79838 (15), 79849 (26), 79853 (24), 79901 (16), 79902 (18), 79903 (47), 79904 (44), 79905 (60), 79907 (79), 79911 (8), 79912 (103), 79915 (67), 79922 (7), 79924 (76), 79925 (62), 79927 (84), 79928 (105), 79930 (45), 79932 (57), 79934 (33), 79935 (32), 79936 (182), 79938 (204).
