A total of 4,389 Texans are currently being treated in hospitals for COVID-19, state data released Wednesday shows.
That’s more than double the same figure two weeks ago on June 11, when 2,008 Texans were hospitalized.
In general, hospitalizations in the month of June have skyrocketed, especially in the last two weeks as record-breaking days have given way to more record-breaking days.
The 4,389 Texans currently being treated for the virus is the highest number yet, but there’s little reason to believe the figure will shrink. Gov. Greg Abbott said on Thursday he would pause the state’s reopening, but did not commit to reversing his decision made at the beginning of the month to reopen all Texas businesses with limited capacity.
Along with the increase in hospitalizations, bed space in hospitals has also thinned in recent weeks.
In the Dallas-Fort Worth region, 388 ICU beds remain to accommodate a population of more than 8 million. In the Houston region, 161 ICU beds remain for 6.6 million Texans.
On Thursday, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins called out the governor for restricting the ability of local leaders to implement statewide mask orders.
“Restoring the traditional powers of local leaders to deal with emergencies would allow us more tools to try to reverse this disturbing trend,” Jenkins said, urging Abbott to act quickly and follow the advice of health experts.
As of Thursday, 2,296 Texans have died from the virus and 131,917 coronavirus cases have been confirmed.
Photo: Dan Tian/Xinhua via Getty Images
Fernando covers Texas politics and government at the Texas Signal. Before joining the Signal, Fernando spent two years at the Houston Chronicle and previously interned at Houston’s NPR station News 88.7. He is a graduate of the University of Houston, Jack J. Valenti School of Communication, and enjoys reading, highlighting things, and arguing on social media. You can follow him on Twitter at @fernramirez93 or email at fernando@texassignalarchive.com
