The state has seen an average of 2,214 new cases daily since June 1.
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The increase in new cases of COVID-19 in Texas has become so draining that a children’s hospital in Houston is now admitting adult patients.
Texas Children’s Hospital said it has opened its intensive care unit and intensive care beds for adults with the virus. Houston has 14,322 confirmed cases to date and in the past two weeks has seen a record number of new daily cases averaging over 200 per day, according to the Houston Department of Health.
The city has seen 196 deaths from the virus so far, according to data from the Health Department.
“We are committed to doing our part to help the city as the number of COVID-19 cases increases,” a spokeswoman for Texas Children’s Hospital said in a statement.
The hospital is the largest pediatric medical center in the country with 754 beds.
The number of Houston COVID-19 patients in hospital beds increased from 394 on June 1 to 957 on June 21, according to state health data. Coronavirus patients occupy approximately 14% of the city’s health beds, according to data from the Department of Health.
The state, which was one of the first to reduce coronavirus restrictions, has seen an increase in new cases in recent weeks. Since June 1, the average number of new daily cases has been around 2,214, according to data from the Department of Health.
The number of beds in the state used by COVID-19 patients increased from 601 on June 1 to 1,351 on June 21, according to state health data. Coronavirus patients represent about 13.5% of the state’s health beds, according to the health department.
So far, 2,192 people have died from the virus in Texas, the health department said.
During a press conference last week, Dr. John Zerwas, a University of Texas System official, said he spoke to some of the state’s pediatric hospitals that agreed to increase the age limit for patients to help with the burden. of the coronavirus.
“Children’s hospitals are really in the game and they want to be in the game,” he said at the press conference.
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