El Paso surpasses 1,500 virus deaths as nearly 600 new cases are reported

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- More than 1,500 El Pasoans have now died of Covid-19 since the virus first reached the community last March.

Health officials announced eight new coronavirus-related deaths Friday bringing the death toll to 1,506.

There were still 564 deaths listed as under investigation. These are suspected Covid-19 fatalities that have yet to be confirmed, although historically the majority of suspected deaths end up being confirmed by health authorities.

The health department also reported 593 new cases, the most in a single-day since Dec. 12

Covid-19 hospitalizations increased from 411 to 423. There are 162 patients in the ICU.

The number of known active cases stands at 34,478, a decrease of 69 from Thursday.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 102,055 confirmed cases in El Paso, with 65,475 reported recoveries.

Complete El Paso health department data on Covid-19 can be found online at EPStrong.org.