Though the total number of people who died this week from COVID-19 in Hidalgo County was lower compared to last week, more people tested positive for the virus.
Hidalgo County reported 330 new cases this week. Forty-two of them were reported Friday, marking it the lowest number of cases reported this week.
Last week, Hidalgo County officials reported a total of 285 cases and 15 COVID-related deaths, 13 of them who were not vaccinated.
This week, Hidalgo County reported eight deaths. All except one were unvaccinated. Two of them were reported Friday: an Edinburg woman in her 60s and a Weslaco man in his 40s. Both were unvaccinated, county officials said.
The COVID-19 death toll in Hidalgo County now stands at 3,489.
Of the 42 cases reported by the Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department on Friday, 17 were confirmed, 24 probable and one suspected.
Children 11 or younger led the majority of cases reported Friday with 13 cases. People 70 or older were the next age group with eight cases.
Of the 330 people who tested positive for COVID-19 this week; 49 cases were reported at the start of the week, 87 cases Tuesday, 52 cases Wednesday, followed by 100 cases Thursday, then 45 cases Friday. Eighty-seven were confirmed, 237 probable and 6 were suspected.
Hidalgo County does not include in their COVID statistics whether people who test positive for the virus are vaccinated.
The county also continues to track cases in schools. On Friday, county officials reported 11 staff members and 63 more students tested positive. A total of 3,946 students and 747 staff members have tested positive for COVID-19 since Aug. 18, when the county began tracking those figures.
Hospitalizations continued to fluctuate this week, with health officials reporting 57 people were in Hidalgo County hospitals as of Friday. The majority were adults, with the exception of five children. Moreover, 21 patients were in intensive care units; all adult patients with the exception of one child.
In contrast, Hidalgo County reported 50 hospitalizations, with 20 patients in ICUs at the start of the week, followed by 63 hospitalizations on Tuesday, with 23 patients in ICUs. Then, officials reported 61 hospitalizations on Wednesday, with 23 patients in ICUs. On Thursday, officials reported 57 hospitalizations, with 21 patients in ICUs; the same as Friday’s.
Hidalgo County also reported the Texas Division of Emergency Management has administered monoclonal antibody infusion treatments to 1,958 people at the Regional Infusion Center, which opened at DHR Health in Edinburg Aug. 27.
The county’s case tally is 118,786, of which 68,854 were confirmed, 47,026 probable and 2,906 suspected.
There are currently 510 active cases reported.
The county also reported 41 people were released from isolation Friday, raising that total to 114,787.
As of Friday, a total of 713,660 COVID-19 tests had been administered in Hidalgo County, with 594,068 returning negative results.
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.
In Cameron County, more people died from the virus this week as officials reported a total of 12 COVID-related deaths and 138 more cases of the virus.
In contrast, the county reported five people died of COVID-19 last week, in addition to 148 people testing positive for the virus.
This week, Cameron County officials reported a total of 12 COVID-related deaths, all of whom were unvaccinated with the exception of one. Two were reported on Friday, which included a Brownsville woman in her 30s and a Brownsville man in his 50s.
Friday’s deaths slightly pushed the county’s COVID-19 death toll past the 2,000 mark; the toll standing exactly at 2,002.
Of the 16 cases reported Friday, Cameron County officials noted four were from facilities housing unaccompanied minors and detention centers.
Those cases included two young adults in their 20s, one adult in their 40s and one adult in their 50s.
The remaining 12 cases reported in Cameron County outside the facilities were led by adults in their 50s with six cases. The remaining half included two adults in their 30s, two adults in their 40s, one Harlingen boy older than 12, but younger than 19 and one Brownsville man in his 80s.
In total, Cameron County officials reported a total of 138 people tested positive for COVID-19 this week.
As of Friday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Cameron County was 53,824.
Additionally, the county also reported 25 people recovered from the virus on Thursday, increasing that total to 50,724.
As for Cameron County’s vaccination efforts, officials have increased their 12 and older population range to 5 and older. As of Thursday, 73.81% of their 5 and older population are fully vaccinated, with 87.82% receiving at least one dose.
The county also reported that 88.08% of their 65 and older population are fully vaccinated, with 96.90% receiving at least one dose.
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