Texas sees 36% jump in COVID-19 hospitalizations
Beds still plentiful as state evaluates whether increase is due to Memorial Day, Abbott says
Since Memorial Day, Texas has seen a 36 percent increase in hospitalizations due to COVID-19, new data released Tuesday by the Department of State Health Services show.
On Tuesday, the state reported 2,056 hospitalizations — the highest number since the pandemic reached Texas in March. Gov. Greg Abbott told KSAT viewers in San Antonio that he is watching the data carefully to guide how much more the state can reopen businesses.
“We are still evaluating whether or not there was any increase because of Memorial Day and now whether or not there could be an increase in the aftermath of these very large protests that have taken place,” said Abbott, a Republican.
While hospitalizations are up, Texas is still reporting more than 15,000 hospital beds available and almost 6,000 ventilators available.
“Every Texan who needs access to a hospital bed will have access to a hospital bed,” said John Wittman, Abbott’s director of communications.
The 2,056 hospitalizations reported on Tuesday were up 545 from Memorial Day. Over the past seven days, Texas has averaged 1,877 hospitalizations per day, up from the previous week when the state averaged 1,715 per day.
Hospitalizations are one of the indicators most closely watched by public health officials, especially with the coronavirus, be
cause a significant number of those who test positive for the illness — which has no vaccine or cure — do not require intensive medical care. Hospitalizations show the severity of the spread, and the potential for it to drain medical supplies, especially potentially lifesaving ventilators.
Much of the spike in hospital patients can be attributed to the Houston region, which showed a surge in hospitalizations starting last week. COVID-19 patients occupied hospital intensive care units in the nine-county Houston area at higher levels the first three days in June than on any single day in May, according to data compiled by the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council, a state group that coordinates the region’s emergency response to disasters.
On Tuesday, SETRAC reported 849 hospital patients in the Houston area with confirmed coronavirus infections, up from 631 on May 31 — a 34 percent increase.
San Antonio has seen its infection numbers over the last 10 days nearly double from the previous 10 days, hitting 706 per day.
But hospitalization numbers are only slightly up since Memorial Day in the state-designated trauma service area that includes Bexar County. The 22-county area stretches west to the Texas border and includes Del Rio and Eagle Pass. The region’s sevenday average for lab-confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations now stands at 62 new hospitalizations per day, up from 57 on Memorial Day.
Next step in reopening
The increase in hospitalizations was not a surprise to Dr. David Lakey, the former head of the health services agency and now chief medical officer for the University of Texas System, who cited the combination of Memorial Day and the state’s reopening.
“It’s a balance of trying to open up enough to let some people go back to work while you are also doing things like wearing masks and taking steps to slow the spread,” Lakey said.
But increases are not consistent around the state. In El Paso and Amarillo, which have seen past spikes, hospitalizations are at 68 total per day, down 24 percent since Memorial Day.
Amarillo and El Paso stand out as two areas in which Abbott slowed reopenings by a week because of previous spikes at prisons and meatpacking plants. Both those regions began more reopenings last week, behind most of Texas.
Abbott has been allowing businesses to reopen in phases since May 1, when he first announced retail stores, restaurants, malls and movie theaters could reopen to 25 percent of their maximum occupancy. On June 3, he allowed those types of businesses to go to 50 percent. And last week, Abbott announced that essentially all businesses in Texas can now operate at 50 percent of maximum occupancy, including bars. Amusement parks and carnivals can also operate at 50 percent of occupancy in counties where there have been less than 1,000
“COVID-19 hasn’t suddenly left the state of Texas or the United States. We need to continue these self-distancing practices as we await the arrival of medications that will treat people who test positive for COVID-19.”
Gov. Greg Abbott
cases of COVID-19.
On Friday, under Abbott’s reopening plan, all restaurants will be allowed to move to 75 percent capacity. And starting next Friday carnivals and amusement parks in all counties can reopen to 50 percent capacity.
Cuomo cites Texas surge
In Texas, 1,872 people have died from COVID-19, according to data compiled by Hearst Newspapers. But Wittman noted that the toll in Texas remains far less than those in other states. In New York, more than 24,000 people have died. In California, more than 4,600 people have died.
On Monday, New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, pointed to the rising hospitalizations and COVID-19 cases in Texas as a warning to New Yorkers as that state begins to reopen its economy. Cuomo said New Yorkers have to continue to be smart with social distancing to avoid spikes like those in Arizona, Texas and Florida.
New York has reported fewer new COVID-19 cases over the last seven days than Texas. New York had 6,442 new cases over the last seven days. Texas has had 10,736.
While Abbott has pushed aggressively to reopen the Texas economy, he has warned that the pandemic hasn’t ended.
“COVID-19 hasn’t suddenly left the state of Texas or the United States,” Abbott said last week. “We need to continue these selfdistancing practices as we await the arrival of medications that will treat people who test positive for COVID-19.”
On Monday, Abbott announced he was expanding testing in underserved and minority communities that have been disproportionately impacted by the virus.
“We must address the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on underserved and minority communities and ensure that anyone who needs a test can have one,” Abbott said. “As many Texans continue to gather for protests, the state is also taking steps to address potential surges in COVID-19 cases.”