Texas Coronavirus Crisis Tops 11,000 New Cases, 400 Deaths Over Weekend

Texas saw one of its worst weekends of the COVID-19 pandemic, reporting over 11,000 new cases and 400 deaths despite a recent downturn in those numbers.

Texas remains the state with third-highest count of confirmed COVID-19 cases at 486,362, while ranking fifth in total deaths with 8,459 fatalities as of Sunday.

The Lone Star State posted 4,879 new cases and 119 deaths Sunday, On Saturday, it reported 6,328 new cases and 211 deaths, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (TDHSH).

Also Saturday, Gov. Greg Abbott (R) extended his Disaster Declaration for all Texas counties in response to the COVID-19 resurgence. Originally issued March 13, the Disaster Declaration gives Texas the policy tools to combat the disease.

"Renewing this Disaster Declaration will provide communities with the resources they need to respond to COVID-19," said Abbott. "I urge Texans to remain vigilant in our fight against this virus. Everyone must do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, practicing social distancing, and washing your hands frequently and thoroughly. We will overcome this challenge by working together."

Abbott made the announcement after Texas reported exceeding 8,000 total deaths on Friday. TDHSH reported 293 Texans died from COVID-19 on Friday.

The positivity rate continues rise across the state. The statewide positivity rate rose to a record high 20.3% Sunday. TDHSH said this might be partly explained by a drop in the number of tests administered.

The seven-day rolling average count of viral tests fell to 39,726 on Sunday, the lowest level since June 30.

Despite the worrisome number of deaths and the rising positivity rate, TDHSH says total case numbers and hospitalizations continue to exhibit welcome declines.

The seven-day rolling average of daily new cases dropped for the fourth straight day to 7,465. The number of patients hospitalized with confirmed cases of COVID-19 statewide fell for the ninth straight day to 7,437, the lowest total since July 2.

The U.S. had a total of 5.2 million cases and 166,000 deaths due to COVID-19, based on data from Worldometer as of Saturday. Texas accounted for 1% of the national case total and 5% of total deaths worldwide. Only California (563,000) and Florida (533,000) have more confirmed cases than Texas.