Hidalgo County reported 10 deaths and 520 new cases of COVID-19 Thursday, while the city of Donna announced it would be closing its office doors and revert to window service, in the latest signs that things are trending in the wrong direction when it comes to the virus.
The last time the county reported 10 deaths or more was March 5, when it announced 13 deaths and 302 positive cases. The deaths began to slow down soon after — mostly staying below the five-count mark — but began ramping up again when the Delta variant of the virus began to spread.
The 10 deaths reported Thursday were from men and women between the ages of 40 and 80 and came from cities across the county, including Alton, Mission, McAllen, Edinburg and Weslaco. Only one, a woman in her 40s, came from an undisclosed location.
Of those 520 new cases, 141 were confirmed and 379 suspected.
They raised the county’s total case count since the start of the pandemic to 102,745, with only 3,913 remaining active, the county said in a news release Thursday.
Still, there were 425 patients with the virus in Hidalgo County hospitals, 98 of whom were being treated in intensive care units.
The county also continues to inch its way closer to 3,000 deaths, with 2,984 confirmed so far.
Donna officials posted a note on the city’s Facebook account Tuesday.
“City offices doors will be closed due to rising numbers of COVID-19 and we will be going back to window usage for payments and permits,” the post said. “For questions or information contact city hall at 956.464.3314.”
In Cameron County, officials reported a total of 112 positive COVID-19 cases Thursday and three deaths related to the virus, according to a county news release.
The deaths reported Thursday included a Los Fresnos man in his 50s and two Brownsville men, one in his 60s and the other in their 70s, increasing the county’s death toll to 1,731.
Of the 112 cases reported Thursday, Cameron County officials noted 37 were from facilities housing unaccompanied minors, such as shelters and detention centers.
The majority of cases reported from facilities were led by youth younger than 19, but older than 10, with a total of 21 cases. The remaining 15 cases included: two children nine or younger, six young adults in their 20s, six adults in their 30s and two adults in their 40s.
The remaining 75 cases in Cameron County outside the facilities were led by young adults in their 20s, with 26 cases. Children nine or younger were the next age group, with 19 cases.
As of Thursday, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Cameron County is 46,342.
Additionally, the county also reported 188 people recovered from the virus, raising that total to 42,330.
As for Cameron County’s vaccination efforts, officials said 70.45 percent of their 12 and older population are fully vaccinated, with 84.78 percent receiving at least one dose.
The county also reported that 82.49 percent of their 65 and older population are fully vaccinated, with 91.04 percent receiving at least one dose.
