Hidalgo County lost another 48 residents to COVID-19 this week, according to data released by county health officials.
On Friday, the county reported eight deaths due to the virus. None of them were vaccinated.
The youngest among deaths reported Friday was a McAllen woman in her 20s. The others ranged in age from their 50s to their 70s and came from Edinburg, McAllen, Donna and Mission. The hometown of a woman in her 60s was not disclosed.
Officials also reported another 314 new cases of the virus Friday, the highest daily count this week.
Among the new cases were 28 students and two staff members. The number of new cases tied to schools rose dramatically this week to 3,581 after an apparent backlog from the state.
Twenty-one pediatric patients were hospitalized, county officials said Friday. Three of them were being treated in intensive care units.
There are also another 153 adult patients hospitalized with the virus. Nearly half of them are in intensive care units. In total, there are 171 patients being treated at local hospitals.
Hidalgo County currently has 1,646 active cases, and has so far mourned the deaths of 3,347 residents since the start of the pandemic.
On Friday, Cameron County also reported six deaths and 67 new cases.
All of those who died were unvaccinated, according to a news release from the county. They ranged in age from their 40s to their 80s, and lived in Brownsville, Harlingen and San Benito.
The death toll there now stands at 1,907.
Fifteen of the new cases came from detention centers and shelters for unaccompanied minors located within Cameron County.
They raised the total number of COVID-19 cases reported in Cameron County to 52,207.
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