Texas COVID-19 hospitalizations drop slightly, remain high

DALLAS – Coronavirus hospitalizations dropped slightly in Texas on Saturday, but remained close to their record, as health officials said there were about 600 intensive care beds available across the state for nearly 29 million people.

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

Intensive care units in various parts of Texas were full or nearly full, with 626 ICU beds available across the state on Saturday, according to the Texas State Department of 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 because many people have not been tested and some who get sick have no symptoms.

In the past seven days, almost one in five coronavirus tests in Texas tested positive, according to data from Johns Hopkins University.

For most people, coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms that disappear within weeks. But for others, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, the virus can cause serious illness and be fatal.