Texas COVID-19 hospitalizations decline slightly, remain high

DALLAS – Coronavirus-related hospitalizations declined slightly in Texas on Saturday but remained near their all-time high, with health officials saying there were around 600 intensive care beds available in the state of nearly 29 million people.

Texas reported 12,319 COVID-19 patients in hospitals on Saturday, ending five consecutive days of record hospitalizations. But even with the decline of more than 160 patients since Friday, the virus has continued to strain medical resources.

Intensive care units in several areas of Texas were full or nearly full, with 626 intensive care beds available statewide as of Saturday, according to the Texas State Department Health Services.

The department reported 96 new deaths, as well as 3,995 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 487 probable cases. The actual number of cases is believed to be much higher as many people have not been tested and some who get sick do not have symptoms.

In the past seven days, nearly one in five coronavirus tests in Texas have come back positive, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that go away within a few weeks. But for others, especially the elderly and people with health problems, the virus can cause serious illness and be fatal.