In the few days since the start of the new year, COVID-19 hospitalizations throughout the Rio Grande Valley have increased by more than 40% as county officials continue to report high number of new cases.
On Wednesday, there were a total of 217 COVID hospitalizations in the Rio Grande Valley, an approximately 42% increase from the 153 total hospitalizations reported on Jan. 1. The 217 current hospitalizations also reflects a 79% increase from the 121 reported just a week prior on Dec. 30, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, or DSHS.
The last time hospitalizations in the Valley were this high was at the beginning of October and the quickly rising number of hospitalizations comes as the omicron variant spreads across the region, a fact that was confirmed earlier this week when Hidalgo and Cameron County officials confirmed the first cases of the variant among their residents.
Just in Hidalgo County, there were 13 more people were hospitalized with COVID-19 for a total of 162. The additional number of patients reported Thursday is on top of a 60% increase in hospitalizations reported Wednesday.
The 162 patients in the county include 141 adults and 21 pediatric patients. They also include 42 adults and one pediatric patient who were treated in intensive care units.
The county also reported two more residents died due to COVID, a Mercedes man in his 50s and a Weslaco man over 70 years old. One was unvaccinated.
The two deceased raise the county’s total number of COVID-related fatalities to 3,534.
Additionally, another 398 people tested positive in Hidalgo County. The new cases include 150 confirmed cases, 147 probable cases and one suspected case.
The county now has a total of 124,817 recorded cases since the start of the pandemic. Those cases include 72,056 confirmed cases, 49,579 probable cases, and 3,182 suspected cases.
Currently, the county has 1,650 active cases.
As students are returning to schools from their winter breaks, 216 staff members and 446 students tested positive, the county also reported Thursday.
That brings the total number of positive cases at schools to 1,468 among staff and 5,041 among students since the start of the school year in August 2021.
Cameron County reported three COVID-related deaths on Thursday.
Additionally, they reported another 163 confirmed cases and 561 probable cases.
Starr County reported 36 confirmed cases and 114 probable cases while Willacy County reported nine confirmed and three probable cases on Thursday, according to DSHS data.
