EL PASO, Texas – El Paso County on Saturday topped 11,000 total coronavirus cases with the addition of 289 new infections, health officials said.
Two more deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 179, as the county morgue approached capacity and officials brought in refrigerated trailers if needed to store bodies. With Saturday’s additions, there have been 29 deaths from the virus in the past week.
The latest victims were identified as a man in his 40s and another in his 50s, both with underlying health problems.
Hospitalizations due to the virus increased in 24 patients from Friday to Saturday, from 268 to 292, as El Paso medical facilities deal with possible staff shortages due to the increase in those needing care.
The number of those in the hospital’s intensive care units increased by seven in one day to reach a new all-time high of 109; As of Saturday there were 38 people who needed fans.
Of the 11,132 infections accumulated in the county during the pandemic, 3,700 are currently active, representing an increase of 101 in the past 24 hours. So far in July, virus cases have almost doubled.
There have been 5,204 new cases reported so far this month, compared to 3,164 for the entire last month. Almost half of El Paso’s total infections since the outbreak began in March have occurred since early July.
The health department’s seven-day average positivity rate increased from 9.87% on Friday to 10.25% on Saturday. That means that more than one in ten El Paso residents who are tested for the virus are infected.
In addition, Saturday’s data showed that almost one in five people who test positive have no external symptoms, so it couldn’t be said that they are carriers of the virus.
Recoveries of the virus are listed at 7,253, although it is important to understand that research shows that some recovered people may still have long-term health problems from contracting the virus.
Full details of the virus from the health department can be found by clicking here.
