EDINBURG — Hidalgo County reported 397 more cases of COVID-19 on Monday along with two additional deaths tied to the virus, as hospitalization rates caused by the pandemic continue to grow.
The county reported 190 patients were being treated for the coronavirus in area hospitals, 51 of whom are in intensive care units.
The last time the county reported hospitalization rates as high as 200 was in late February. The last time it reported intensive care unit rates as high as 50 was in mid-March.
A release from the county distributed Monday said local COVID-19 cases are spiking and put current hospitalization rates in excess of 18%.
The county confirmed its first case of the highly contagious delta variant of the virus July 15, just three days after Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez issued a warning cautioning residents to get vaccinated in lieu of rising hospitalization rates.
The amount of people hospitalized now has more than doubled since Cortez issued that message. At that point hospitalizations stood at 93, with 36 patients in intensive care units.
On Monday, three deaths were reported in the Rio Grande Valley.
Hidalgo County reported the deaths of a McAllen woman in her 30s and a San Juan man in his 60s.
Their deaths bring the virus toll for the county to 2,946.
Out of the new cases, 99 were reported as confirmed and 298 as probable. They raise the overall tally to 98,870 cases, of which 63,008 were confirmed, 33,594 probable and 2,268 suspected.
Among those new cases was a youth development coach at the Evins Regional Juvenile Center in Edinburg, the Texas Juvenile Justice Department announced Monday.
Cameron County reported one death, a Brownsville man in his 20s, which raised the county’s virus toll to 1,712.
There were also 308 additional cases of COVID-19 reported there Monday.
The cases bring the overall virus tally in the county to 44,817. Forty-five more people have also recovered as of Monday, raising that total to 40,750.
