COVID-19 claims its 9th Houston resident

Both Fort Bend and Harris counties reported three additional COVID-19 deaths Saturday, and the city of Houston saw one new death from the virus.

A man in his 60s with underlying health conditions was the ninth Houston resident to die with COVID-19, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced Saturday.

All but one of the Houston residents to die with the disease caused by the new coronavirus have been over 60 with an underlying medical condition. The city also reported 103 new confirmed cases, bringing its total as of Saturday to 690.

The mayor continued to strike an optimistic chord, telling Houston residents their efforts are working, even if the numbers don’t show it yet, and must be continued.

“But for what we are doing, the numbers would be so much higher, and so many more people would be in our hospitals,” said Turner, who wore a mask during the briefing at the Houston Food Bank.

Harris County on Saturday reported three new deaths outside of the City of Houston, bringing the city and county death toll to 17.

The county added 75 cases in its unincorporated territory, bringing the total with Houston’s to 1,284 as of Saturday. Included in those cases are three at a rehabilitation and assisted living facility in southeastern Harris County. The sick include staff and residents and county health officials said in a news release that the investigation of the site is ongoing.

Officials said they were not identifying the specific neighborhood or naming the healthcare facility because they were in the process of informing family members of those at the facility.

Fort Bend County is reporting three new deaths stemming from the virus, putting that county’s total at five. Health officials said there are 13 new cases and one new recovery.