Hospitalizations soar to 678 in El Paso; nearly 1,000 new cases again

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- More than 100 new coronavirus hospitalizations, nearly 1,000 new cases, and four new deaths were announced in El Paso County on Friday morning.

The death toll now stands at 571. The latest victims included a man in his 50s, one in his 60s and two women in their 60s. Officials have said they expect this toll to rise given the surge in cases and hospitalizations.

There are currently 678 Covid-19 hospitalizations in El Paso County, compared to 571 on Thursday. That shattered the previous record of 578 that was set on Wednesday.

The health department announced 969 new cases as well, along with 269 unreported cases from earlier. It comes just a day after El Paso County topped 1,000 new daily cases for the first time. The number of active cases has increased to 10,161, a record that's been broken for 17 straight days.

Since the start of the pandemic, there have been 37,263 new cases and 26, 352 reported recoveries, with doctors noting that some recovered persons may still suffer long-term health impacts from having been infected.

For a complete look at El Paso's Covid-19 data, click here.