The outbreak in Texas

This week’s COVID-19 digest

The latest COVID-19 metrics for Texas show a mixed bag with case counts and deaths remaining stubbornly high while hospitalization and positive test rate numbers continue to improve.

The state recorded 131,394 new cases and 2,142 new deaths last week, making it the fifth-highest week for new cases and third-highest week for new deaths.

Harris County reported 14,583 new cases in the last week, an increase of about 4.7 percent.

Hospitalizations are the lowest they’ve been since mid-December, and now only nine of the state’s 22 Trauma Service Areas are reporting that COVID-19 hospitalizations make up more than 15 percent of total hospital capacity, the threshold that signifies “high hospitalizations.”

The positive test rate in Texas is now at 13.17 percent, the lowest it's been since Dec. 10. The rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine continued, with Texas officials

reporting more than 4.4 million doses distributed so far.

More than 2.8 million people (about 10 percent of Texans age 16 and older) have received a first dose. More than 660,000 Texans are fully vaccinated. In Harris County, about 320,000 people, or about 9 percent of the population aged 16 and older, have had at least one dose of the vaccine.

More help is on the way with CVS announcing this week that 70 locations across the state will soon administer a total of 38,000 vaccines.

Johnson & Johnson is also poised to be the third COVID-19 vaccine on the market. If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approves it, the new single-dose shot could be available to providers later this month.received. EL PASO