173 New Cases Of Coronavirus In WilCo Push Total To 32,921

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Another 173 new cases of the coronavirus emerged over the past 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total to 32,921 confirmed cases, according to data provided by Williamson County. There have been 340 deaths from the respiratory illness since the pandemic began, the data show.

Currently, there are 1,346 active cases of illness as recorded on a statistical dashboard maintained by the Williamson County and Cities Health District. To date, the data show 31,235 patients in Williamson County have recovered from the virus.

Meanwhile, hospital resources continue to dwindle. According to the dashboard, there are 721 hospital beds available — 18 percent of the overall supply. Available intensive care unit beds are fewer, with 53 available. The number represents 10 percent of the total stock, according to the dashboard.

Related stories:

• Coronavirus Business Restrictions Loosened In Williamson County
• WilCo Bars Allowed To Reopen Amid Lowered Coronavirus Rates

One key number is the percentage of coronavirus hospitalizations as a proportion of the total over a seven-day period. Greater restrictions in terms of safety guidelines and business operations are triggered when the level of coronavirus cases hits a minimum of 15 percent of total hospitalizations. As of Thursday, 11.34 percent of all hospitalizations were coronavirus-related — well below the 15 percent threshold.

State officials last week alerted the county the region is no longer deemed an area of high transmission, prompting restaurants and retailers to allow customers in at 75 percent occupancy from 50 percent. Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell immediately sought and quickly secured permission from the Texas Alcoholic and Beverage Commission to allow bars to open at limited occupancy levels.

According to the dashboard, the cities in Williamson County with the highest number of cases to date are:

• Round Rock: 7,718.
• Georgetown: 6,254.
• Cedar Park: 2,486.
• Leander: 2,051.
• Hutto: 1,971.

The dashboard also lists a category of "other" that includes smaller municipalities with a population of less than 20,000. Among those areas, 3,722 cases of the coronavirus have emerged. County officials previously explained they are not legally compelled to identify cities with such small populations as part of the case count given reasons related to patient privacy.

Also tabulated on the dashboard is the number of cases emerging from the small portion of Austin falling within Williamson County jurisdiction. Since the pandemic began, another 2,192 cases have emerged from that region alone.