Texas sets record highs for virus hospitalizations and infections

AUSTIN, Texas — Coronavirus infections reached a record high for the third time in four days Friday, even as state officials continue to loosen restrictions on public activities.

State health officials also said a record 2,166 patients were in Texas hospitals on Friday due to Covid-19, which is 13 more patients than Wednesday’s record.

That’s a 42% increase in patients since Memorial Day weekend, when beachgoers swarmed Texas’ coastline and a water park near Houston opened to big crowds in defiance of Republican Gov. Greg Abbott’s orders.

Friday saw almost 2,100 new cases reported in Texas, bringing the total to 83,680. 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.

Nineteen new deaths reported Friday from the disease brought the overall state death toll to 1,939.

The upward trend comes six weeks into Texas’ reopening that began in May, which kicked off one of the fastest reboots of daily life in the U.S, and as restaurants got permission to expand their dining rooms to 75% capacity on Friday.

While thousands of hospital beds remain available, some officials are voicing concern. Texas’ percentage of tests coming back positive has also jumped to levels that are among the nation’s highest.

Throughout the record-setting week in Texas, Abbott and state health officials have pointed out hot-spots in rural counties with meatpacking plants and prisons – where thousands of new cases have cropped up – but have not offered an explanation for rising caseloads elsewhere.

Some big city officials and health experts readily link the worsening numbers to businesses re-opening and people growing more complacent with social distancing.

Few states are rebooting faster than Texas – and Abbott, who has recently begun wearing a mask in public, has shown no intention of pumping the brake on reopening a state where protesters in May pressured him to speed up the timeline on getting hair salons back in business.

In El Paso, the health department said hospitalizations due to the virus increased on Friday from 81 to 85, but it remains below the 100-mark previously experienced. Officials said there’s also been a slower rise recently in new cases among El Pasoans, allowing for the economy to proceed with reopening along with Texas.