Hidalgo County reported 259 people tested positive for the coronavirus Thursday, stopping what appeared to be a decrease in the number of new cases the county was reporting this week.
On Monday the county began the week by reporting 135 positive cases of the virus, followed by 133 cases Tuesday and 125 cases Wednesday. On Thursday, however, that number more than doubled to 259.
Health officials also reported 12 deaths Thursday.
A man in his 30s, whose location was undisclosed, was the youngest among the dozen COVID-related deaths the county reported Thursday.
Others included two people in their 40s, four people in their 50s, three people in their 60s and two people 70 or older. Of the 12 deaths reported Thursday, which increased the county’s COVID-19 death toll to 3,339, officials said eight were not vaccinated.
Of the 259 new cases reported by the Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department on Thursday, 57 were confirmed, 198 probable and four were suspected.
A total of 183 of the 259 positive cases reported Thursday, or 71%, were from people 19 or younger. Youth 11 or younger made up 114 of the 183 cases, while people younger than 19, but older than 12 comprised the remaining 69 cases.
The next age group that trailed behind were adults in their 30s with 20 cases.
The county also noted 150 of the 383 cases are students and 17 are school employees.
Hidalgo County does not include in their COVID statistics whether people who test positive for the virus are vaccinated. The county continues to track cases in schools, with a total of 2,827 students and 724 school staff testing positive since Aug. 18.
Hospitalizations continued to decline this week, with officials reporting a total of 179 people are in Hidalgo County hospitals, the majority being adults with the exception of 24 children.
On Thursday, there were 81 patients in intensive care units, all adults except for five pediatric patients.
In contrast, Hidalgo County reported 218 hospitalizations, with 101 patients in ICUs at the start of the week, followed by 203 hospitalizations on Tuesday, with 90 patients in ICUs. Then, officials reported 186 hospitalizations on Wednesday, with 80 patients in ICUs.
Hidalgo County also reported the Texas Division of Emergency Management has administered monoclonal antibody infusion treatments to 903 people at the Regional Infusion Center that opened at DHR Health in Edinburg on Aug. 27.
The county’s total case tally is 115,106, of which 67,844 were confirmed, 44,817 probable and 2,445 suspected, with 1,636 cases reported active.
Additionally, the county reported 320 people were released from isolation Thursday, raising that total to 110,131.
As of Thursday, a total of 654,775 COVID-19 tests had been administered in Hidalgo County, with 538,998 results returning negative.
Hidalgo County uses the case status definitions provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services’ 2020 Epi Case Criteria Guide:
>> Confirmed cases are those who tested positive through a molecular or PCR (oral or nasal swabs) test that looks for the presence of the virus’s genetic material;
>> Probable cases are those who meet presumptive laboratory evidence through detection of COVID-19 by antigen test in a respiratory specimen;
>> Suspect cases are those who meet supported laboratory evidence through detection of specific antibodies in serum, plasma, whole body and no prior history of being confirmed or probable case.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also issued an urgent health advisory to increase COVID-19 vaccination among pregnant people, those who’ve become recently pregnant (and are lactating), those who are trying to get pregnant now or those who might become pregnant in the future to prevent serious illness, deaths, and adverse pregnancy outcomes.
“Pregnancy can be both a special time and also a stressful time – and pregnancy during a pandemic is an added concern for families,” CDC Director Rochelle P. Walensky said in a news release. “I strongly encourage those who are pregnant or considering pregnancy to talk with their healthcare provider about the protective benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine to keep their babies and themselves safe.”
According to the release, there were more than 125,000 confirmed COVID-19 cases in pregnant people through Sept. 27, including more than 22,000 hospitalized and 161 deaths. In the month of August alone, there were 22 deaths.
The CDC also noted that COVID-19 cases in symptomatic pregnant people have a two-fold risk of admission into intensive care and a 70% increased risk of death. Furthermore, pregnant people with COVID-19 are at increased risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes that could include preterm birth, stillbirth, and admission into the ICU of a newborn also infected with COVID-19.
Just last week in Hidalgo County, officials urged pregnant people to get vaccinated following the death of a newborn who contracted COVID-19 at birth on Sept. 23.
An unvaccinated woman, who also tested positive for the virus, gave birth to a baby girl, the county’s health authority Dr. Ivan Melendez said then, adding that the newborn contracted COVID-19 at birth and was 11 days old when she died due to the virus.
In Cameron County, officials reported 81 people tested positive for the virus and no COVID-related deaths, leaving the county’s death toll at 1,901.
Of the 81 cases reported Thursday, Cameron County officials noted 25 were from facilities housing unaccompanied minors and detention centers.
All of the cases were people younger than 19, but older than 10 with the exception of one boy nine or younger.
The remaining 56 cases reported in Cameron County outside the facilities were led by two age groups: people younger than 19, but older than 10 and young adults in their 20s — each with 11 cases.
As of Thursday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Cameron County was 52,140.
Additionally, the county also reported 101 people recovered from the virus on Thursday, increasing that total to 47,910.
As for Cameron County’s vaccination efforts, officials said 79.98% of their 12 and older population are fully vaccinated, with 93.15% receiving at least one dose.
The county also reported that 85.54% of their 65 and older population are fully vaccinated, with 93.50% receiving at least one dose.
