Hidalgo County reported that 27 more people died from COVID-19-related complications on Friday and 451 more people tested positive for the disease.
The county now has 267 total deaths and 10,943 cases, as the county exceeds 70,000 tests administered, according to a statement released by the county on Friday.
“I sent my condolences to these 27 families for the loss of their loved one,” said Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez. “Our medical experts tell us that the best way to stop the spread is to wear a mask, use proper hygiene, stay 6 feet away from others, and avoid social gatherings of 10 or more people.”
There are currently 5,780 active cases in the county. There are 982 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 304 of those patients are being treated in an intensive care unit.
Cameron County health officials reported two more deaths on Friday, bringing their total to 91 coronavirus-related deaths.
The two people were a 64-year-old Brownsville man who died at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville and a 53-year-old Port Isabel woman who died at Starr County Memorial Hospital.
The county also reported 325 more positive cases for a total of 5,565 cases. Of these, 2,805 cases are currently active.
Several county employees also tested positive, according to a press release issued by county judge Eddie Treviño.
Employees include one from the county clerk’s office, one from the adult probation office, three from the Precinct 3 office of public works, one from the Precinct 1 office of public works, one from the Court of Justice of the County No. 5, three from the juvenile probation department, 22 from the sheriff’s office and six from the tax assessor-collector’s office.
In Starr County, there were 26 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, according to Dr. José Vázquez, the county health authority.
The county now has a total of 1,388 cases. There are currently 906 active cases.
Starr has reported five official deaths, however, there are 29 more that are pending state confirmation.
Seven other inmates and an employee at the Starr County Detention Center also tested positive for COVID-19 after massive tests were conducted at the facility earlier this week.
A strike team administered a total of 196 tests at the request of Sheriff René “Orta” Fuentes. The team evaluated a total of 138 inmates and 58 staff members.
Of those tests, a total of nine inmates tested positive, including two that had been previously reported.
In addition, Willacy County reported 22 more cases of the disease for a total of 462 confirmed cases.
