Twenty-seven people have died from COVID-19 this week in Hidalgo County, according to county data, in addition to 1,210 people testing positive for the virus.
There were six COVID-related deaths reported on Friday: a man in his 50s whose location was undisclosed, an Edinburg man in his 60s and four people 70 or older.
Of the 27 deaths reported this week, 14 were unvaccinated, according to county officials.
In comparison, county officials reported 17 COVID-related deaths, nine of which were unvaccinated, and a total of 2,208 positive cases for the week of Jan. 10.
For this week, Hidalgo County officials reported 275 cases on Tuesday, 407 cases Wednesday, followed by 119 cases Thursday, and then 409 cases Friday; the county did not release its COVID update for Monday due to Martin Luther King Jr. Day.
Of the 409 cases reported by the Hidalgo County Health and Human Services Department on Friday, 166 were confirmed, 233 probable and 10 suspected.
Young adults in their 20s led the majority of cases with 72 cases. Children 11 or younger were the next age group with 71 cases.
Of the 1,210 people who tested positive for COVID-19 this week, 424 were confirmed, 771 probable and 15 were suspected. Hidalgo County does not include in their COVID statistics whether people who test positive for the virus are vaccinated.
State health officials said Thursday that they expect cases to continue to rise for the next couple of weeks before possibly leveling off.
“I have spoken to a few colleagues over in the Houston area, they’re starting to see a slowdown and possible plateau of their number of cases and hospitalizations, and usually we’re about two weeks behind,” said Dr. Emilie Prot, regional medical director for Public Health Region 11, an office of the Texas Department of State Health Services, on Thursday, “so we’re going to continue to see an increase at least for the next couple weeks in Region 11.”
There are 19 counties in South Texas that make up Region 11, including the Rio Grande Valley.
There was a big increase in hospitalizations this week, as officials reported 415 people were in county hospitals Friday. The majority being adults with the exception of 38 children. Moreover, 86 patients were in intensive care units; all adults with the exception of eight children.
In contrast, Hidalgo County reported 266 hospitalizations, with 56 patients in ICUs at the start of the week, followed by 380 hospitalizations on Wednesday, with 71 patients in ICUs. Then, 409 hospitalizations on Thursday, with 80 patients in ICUs.
Hidalgo County also reported the Texas Division of Emergency Management has administered monoclonal antibody infusion treatments to 5,082 people at the Regional Infusion Center, which opened at DHR Health in Edinburg on Aug. 27.
The county’s case tally is 128,706, of which 73,946 were confirmed, 51,557 probable and 3,203 suspected.
There are currently 545 active cases reported.
The county also reported 442 people were released from isolation Friday, raising that total to 124,582.
As of Friday, a total of 768,352 COVID-19 tests had been administered in Hidalgo County, with 638,786 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.
