Docs and nurses sporting protecting gear deal with a affected person within the Covid-19 intensive care unit (ICU) on the United Memorial Medical M
Docs and nurses sporting protecting gear deal with a affected person within the Covid-19 intensive care unit (ICU) on the United Memorial Medical Middle (UMMC) in Houston, Texas, U.S., on Monday, June 29, 2020.
Go Nakamura | Bloomberg | Getty Pictures
Texas reported greater than 6,900 new coronavirus instances Tuesday, a document every day improve that brings the state’s whole to just about 160,000 instances, based on the state’s division of well being.
The division additionally reported that 6,533 persons are within the hospital with Covid-19, one other document. Earlier Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott suspended elective surgical procedures in Cameron, Hidalgo, Nueces and Webb counties to guarantee hospital mattress availability for Covid-19 sufferers.
Eight counties in Texas now have been ordered to postpone elective procedures. On June 25, Abbott suspended the procedures in Bexar, Dallas, Harris and Travis counties, which embody the state’s largest cities: San Antonio, Dallas, Houston and Austin, respectively.
“We have to perceive that Covid-19 has taken a really swift and really harmful flip in Texas over simply the previous few weeks,” Abbott mentioned Sunday whereas showing with Vice President Mike Pence, who leads the White Home’s coronavirus job pressure.
An increase in every day reported new Covid-19 instances might replicate a rise in testing in sure places or a lag in reporting, officers say. Nonetheless, Texas’ seven-day common of recent Covid-19 instances elevated by greater than 41% in contrast with per week in the past, based on a CNBC evaluation of knowledge compiled by Johns Hopkins College.
Texas’ positivity charge, or the proportion of whole checks which are constructive, only one month in the past was at 4.27% however is now properly over 13%, Abbott mentioned. He has beforehand mentioned a positivity charge of greater than 10% could be an “alarm bell” for Texas to take more durable motion and forestall additional unfold.
On Tuesday, White Home well being advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci mentioned about 50% of all new instances are coming from 4 states: Florida, California, Texas and Arizona.
“I am very involved, and I am not glad with what is going on on as a result of we’re going within the incorrect course if you happen to take a look at the curves of the brand new instances, so we actually have gotten to do one thing about that, and we have to do it shortly,” Fauci mentioned throughout a listening to of the Senate Well being, Training, Labor and Pensions committee.