Two more deaths due to the coronavirus were confirmed in Cameron County on Wednesday evening, according to a county news release. The death toll there is now 42.
The county identified them as two Brownsville men, 65 and 67.
Thirty-nine new cases of COVID-19 were also reported in Cameron County, raising the total number of cases the county has seen to 990. A total of 686 people have recovered from the disease (28 recovered on Wednesday), leaving 304 active cases there.
The ages of the new cases range from 17 to 78.
Also on Wednesday, Hidalgo County experienced a comparatively higher volume of COVID-19 confirmations locally, recording 38 new cases, according to a county news release.
“In the past two weeks we have seen hospitalizations nearly triple,” county Judge Richard F. Cortez said. “The virus continues to spread in our community. We urge residents to do their part to stop the spread by maintaining good hygiene, wearing facial coverings and avoiding large crowds.”
According to the release, the new cases range in age from under 20 to older than 70.
This raises the case total in Hidalgo County to 842, of which 44 are hospitalized. Five are being cared for in intensive care units. On Wednesday, 15 people were released from isolation due to the disease, leaving 366 remaining active cases.
Additionally a total of 24,605 tests have been administered in the county, with 1,585 tests results still pending.
On Tuesday, Hidalgo County matched its single-day high of 45 cases confirmed, which officials attributed to the Memorial Day weekend and an increase in testing efforts.
In Willacy County, authorities reported Wednesday that a third person there succumbed to the coronavirus.
The latest fatality was a woman in her 60s who had previously tested positive for the disease and who had been hospitalized at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, according to a news release issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services on Wednesday.
She died on June 3, the release stated.
“We offer our most sincere condolences and our support to the family during this difficult time,” Dr. Emilie Prot, Region 11 medical director for the DSHS said in the release.
Prot urged residents to stay home if they are sick, to limit familial interactions between those who are sick and those who are not, and to continue practicing social distancing and good hygiene.
“The positive person should be in a dedicated room and must wear a mask and not gather with other family members. The caregiver should also wear a mask when providing care,” Prot said.
“This is extremely important as evidence points to strong clustering among positive persons,” she said.
Earlier Wednesday, the county also reported that a man in his 40s had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing Willacy County’s total to 46.
The man is believed to have contracted the disease through contact with another person who had previously tested positive.
And in Starr County, three more people were confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus, according to Dr. Jose Vazquez, the county’s health authority.
The new cases include two women — aged 37 and 67 — and a 50-year-old man.
That county’s total now stands at 72, of whom 32 have recovered, Vazquez said. The county has 39 active cases.
