The number of people hospitalized in the Rio Grande Valley due to COVID-19 ended on a downward trend this week, though the risk level remains high.
As of Thursday, there were a total of 152 people hospitalized due to COVID-19, down from the 158 people who were in the hospital with COVID on Monday.
Though hospitalizations increased from Monday to Tuesday when there were 159 hospitalizations, the number of patients steadily decreased in the following days, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.
COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Valley have continued to see ups and downs but, overall, have seen a decrease since last week when they hit a peak of 184 on July 26.
On a smaller scale, hospitalizations also saw a decrease in Hidalgo County this week.
Within hospitals in the county, there were 113 COVID hospitalizations at the beginning of the week which dropped to 104 hospitalizations by Friday.
But while hospitalizations may be going down slightly, all four counties of the Rio Grande Valley remain at high risk of COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Hidalgo, Cameron, Starr, and Willacy counties are currently assigned a high community level by the CDC. The community levels — low, medium, or high — are determined by hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the number of new COVID-19 cases in the area over the last seven days.
This week, Hidalgo County reported 2,119 new cases including 1,386 confirmed and 733 probable cases.
They also reported seven more residents died due to COVID-related complications including four who were not vaccinated. Their deaths raise the county’s total number of COVID fatalities to 3,949.
Cameron County health officials reported 2,002 new cases this week including 803 confirmed cases, 1,186 probable, and 13 self-reported cases.
The county also reported another three residents died due to COVID-19. Only one was fully vaccinated.
Starr County had 55 confirmed cases and 96 probable cases, according to DSHS data, while Willacy County had 39 confirmed cases and 19 probable cases.
