Texas Coronavirus Surge: Hospitalizations Hit Record High For 5th Straight Day

TOPLINE

The Texas Department of Health reported Tuesday that there are now at least 2,518 people hospitalized across the state due to Covid-19, the highest number recorded since the pandemic began, with hospitalizations up a remarkable 67% statewide since Memorial Day.

KEY FACTS

Key Background:

Texas is currently in Phase 3 of its reopening, and restaurants were allowed to reopen at 75% capacity this past the weekend. Abbott had said previously that rising hospitalizations and positive tests could impact the state’s reopening plans. Yet, at a roundtable discussion Monday afternoon, President Trump commended Gov. Abbott and Texas’ approach to controlling the pandemic. Trump intimated that a rise in hospitalizations among the prison population was primarily responsible for the increasing numbers. “I spoke with the governor of Texas, where they’ve done a fantastic job. But he said they have had some outbreaks in prisons,” explained Trump. “And that’s where their numbers went out, and the numbers changed a little bit because of the prison population. But he’s got it in great shape, Texas.”

Chief Critic:

James Scott, a professor of statistics and data science at the University of Texas at Austin, explained to ABC News affiliate WFAA in April that it can take several weeks for someone who has been infected to need to be hospitalized. “There’s something like, on average, a 23- to 24-day lag between when someone gets infected and when they’re at risk of death due to COVID-19 complications,” Scott said. “So what that implies is that today’s social distancing behavior is determining what the shape of that death rate curve is going to look like three to four weeks in the future.”

Big Number: 

There have been more than 89,000 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Texas since tracking began in March.

Tangent:

Earlier this month, intending to stimulate the economy, Gov. Abbott issued an executive order that pro sports fans would be allowed to attend outdoor events in most Texas counties, provided that the venues limit the number of spectators to no more than 50% of the standard operating capacity. Last Friday, the University of Houston suspended voluntary workouts for all student-athletes after six symptomatic students tested positive for Covid-19. Southern Methodist University (a private university located in a northern suburb of Dallas) is now requiring all student-athletes to sign a liability waiver, which prevents the students from holding the school liable for anything related to them Covid-19, before returning to campus for voluntary workouts. On Monday morning, it was reported that “several” players from the two NFL teams located in Texas, the Cowboys and Texans (including star running back Ezekiel Elliott), have recently tested positive for Covid-19. 

Further Reading:

4 Days In A Row—Texas Sets Coronavirus Hospitalization Record Yet Again (Forbes) 

COVID-19 updates: Texas sees another record number of hospitalizations ahead of governor’s announcement (ABC News) 

University Requiring All Student-Athletes To Sign Coronavirus Liability Waiver Before Return To Campus (Forbes)