New Texas virus cases, hospitalizations plateau after falling from July’s record highs

AUSTIN, Texas — Texas health officials reported 3,650 new cases Friday of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, but the addition of 386 previously unreported cases raised the Friday total by 4,036 cases.

The newly reported cases raised to 785,830 the total caseload reported in Texas since tracking and tracing of the pandemic began in March, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported. An estimated 72,546 of those cases are currently active.

New Covid-19 cases and hospitalizations have plateaued over the past two weeks after falling from record highs in July.

This plateau comes as Gov. Greg Abbott is allowing bars to reopen at 50% capacity next week — as long as their county governments choose to allow it.

There were 3,593 people hospitalized with Covid-19 in Texas on Friday, compared with 1,578 on May 22, when Abbott originally reopened bars.

The 98 deaths from Covid-19 reported Friday raised to 16,432 the Texas death toll for the pandemic.