Texas reports new record of COVID-19 hospitalizations

DALLAS – Texas hit a new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations on Sunday, as the outbreak of illness caused by the novel coronavirus continued to strain the state’s medical resources after the trips and gatherings of holidays.

State health officials have reported 12,563 patients with COVID-19 in hospitals in Texas, an increase of more than 240 from Saturday. It was the sixth time in seven days that the state had reported record hospitalizations.

Intensive care units in several parts of the state were full or nearly full on Sunday, according to the Texas State Department Health Department.

The department reported 14,535 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Sunday, 1,510 more probable cases and 50 deaths. 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.