Hidalgo County confirmed 157 new cases of COVID-19, along with two additional deaths on Monday, according to a county news release.
The county’s numbers bring the tally in the Rio Grande Valley to 510 new cases recorded on Monday.
Hidalgo County’s new cases raise the total there to 8,197, and the additional fatalities bump the death toll to 152.
The deaths include two women older than 70 — one from Weslaco, and the other from Pharr.
Monday’s new case count is less than half of the county’s seven-day average of 427.4 cases, according to the county’s website. However, the release stated that Monday’s numbers do not reflect recent tests from military testing sites.
“Military data shows that we can expect even higher numbers tomorrow. If we do not sacrifice ourselves to take control of the virus, the virus will take control of us,” county Judge Richard F. Cortez said in the release. “My prayers and condolences go out to the families of all those who have lost their battle with this virus.”
The judge also confirmed on Monday that Carlos Sanchez, the county’s spokesperson and former editor of The Monitor, has tested positive for COVID-19 and has been hospitalized.
Information with regard to Sanchez’s status remained unclear as of press time.
Additionally, 363 were released from isolation on Monday, leaving 4,666 active cases in the county.
There are currently 840 hospitalized individuals with the disease, of which 223 are being cared for in an intensive care unit.
Moreover, the county has administered a total of 63,393 COVID-19 tests so far. There are still 906 results pending.
Also on Monday, Cameron County confirmed 321 new cases of the coronavirus, according to a news release.
This raises the total number of cases there to 4,175.
The individuals, according to the release, reside in Brownsville, Combes, Harlingen, La Feria, Los Fresnos, Olmito, Port Isabel, Rio Hondo, San Benito, Santa Rosa and South Padre Island.
Eighteen of the new cases include children whose ages range from infancy to 9-years-old.
The county did not record any new deaths, leaving the death toll there at 79.
Willacy County confirmed 21 additional COVID-19 cases on Monday, raising the total number of cases seen there to 346, according to a county news release.
“This is just another reminder that this virus is in our neighborhood and with more testing being done, the more likely it will be to get another positive case,” county Judge Aurelio “Keter” Guerra said in the release. “With this knowledge, citizens are urged to continue to stay at home, social distance and routinely wash hands and wear face covering, cover/block you sneeze and coughs.”
Starr County confirmed 11 new cases of the disease Monday, according to Dr. Jose Vazquez, the county health authority.
The individuals include residents of Roma and Rio Grande City. Though, several residencies were not disclosed in the release. Additionally, the ages of the new cases range from a 2-year-old boy to a 60-year-old woman.
The total number of cases there is now 1,113, of which 812 remain active. No new deaths were recorded, leaving the death toll in Starr County at five.
