37 more deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Valley

Thirty-seven more dead, and 1,760 additional cases of COVID-19. This is the Rio Grande Valley’s activity as it relates to the novel coronavirus, and as reported by the region’s four counties Monday.

Twenty-six more people from Hidalgo County have died due to complications associated with COVID-19, the county announced in a news release Monday, confirming that another 398 cases of the disease have also been recorded.

Twelve of the dead are women between their 40s and 70s while men make up 14 who died, and whose ages are within the same range.

There are now 682 dead due to the disease in the county with a total of 17,751 cases confirmed thus far. This accounts for a 46% increase in the death toll, from 486 to 682 in the last week, and nearly 13% increase in infections from the 15,749 reported seven days ago.

Those hospitalized currently number 763, with 227 being treated in intensive care units.

The county is also reporting 4,985 “net active cases” and 35 people being released from isolation after showing no symptoms for 10 days.

The total released from isolation as of Monday was 12,083.

Officials in Cameron County have confirmed another 1,265 cases of COVID-19 locally, along with 11 more dead as a result of the disease.

In a news release Monday, the county confirmed the deaths of seven men between the ages of 69 and 87, and four women, including a 77-year-old from Harlingen.

Others who died from the novel coronavirus in Cameron County include a 63-year-old Laguna Vista man, a 59-year-old Port Isabel man and a 61-year-old San Benito man.

Cameron County’s death toll now rises to 258.

The county’s new 1,265 cases include 559 from Brownsville, 298 from Harlingen, 150 from San Benito and 109 from Los Fresnos.

Cameron’s cases have jumped by 80% in the last seven days, from 8,201 on Monday, July 27, to 14,781.

With another 205 individuals recovering from the disease, the total number of recoveries is now at 5,256 in the county.

“Cameron County Public Health continues to work with the six nursing home facilities and one detention center in addressing the COVID-19 outbreaks,” the county news release read. “To date, the Cameron County cases arising from the Port Isabel Service Processing Center has 12 employees and 84 detainees who have tested positive.”

The death toll has also increased from the same time last week by 40%, from 183 to 258.

There are also 89 more cases of COVID-19 reported in Starr County, according to the county’s health authority, Dr. Jose Vazquez.

This raises the total number of cases in Starr County to 2,206 with 1,439 active. Twenty-two have died from the disease since the county began reporting coronavirus activity, and another 46 deaths are pending confirmation.

Willacy County Judge Aurelio “Keter” Guerra announced eight more cases of the disease there, raising the county’s total to 594 as of Monday.

The new cases include five females — two who are under the age of 10, two teenagers and one woman in her 40s. One man in his 20s, and another two in their 40s and 50s make up the other new cases in Willacy.