Another 12 people from the Rio Grande Valley are reported to have died due to COVID-19 on Thursday while county officials reported another 1,300 new cases.
Of the 12 deceased individuals, eight were Hidalgo County residents, according to a news release issued by the county Thursday which noted that seven of them were not vaccinated. Their deaths raise the county’s total number of COVID fatalities to 3,600.
They also reported another 463 people tested positive. That includes 123 confirmed cases, 338 probable and two suspected cases.
Hidalgo County has now had a total of 130,248 COVID-19 cases since the start of the pandemic, including 74,588 confirmed cases, 52,452 probable cases and 3,208 suspected cases.
In schools, there were 60 new cases among school staff and 374 new cases among students.
So far, a total of 2,918 staff members and 10,423 students have tested positive since the start of the school year in August 2021.
In Cameron County, health officials reported four COVID-related deaths on Thursday as well as 914 new cases.
The new cases included 448 confirmed cases, 454 probable cases, and 12 cases reported from at-home tests.
The number of people hospitalized due to COVID-19 has risen again across the Rio Grande Valley.
COVID-19 hospitalizations climbed to 656 patients on Wednesday which included 468 adults, 161 adults in intensive care units, and 27 pediatric patients, according to data posted on Thursday by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
In Hidalgo County, alone, there were a total of 462 COVID hospitalizations. That included 415 adults and 47 pediatric patients.
The 415 patients also included 98 people who were being treated in intensive care units, 97 adults and one pediatric patient.
