Texas Gains 8,554 New Coronavirus Cases, 89 More Deaths

AUSTIN, TX — Texas reported 8,554 additional cases of the coronavirus and 89 new deaths on Sunday.

The newly emerged cases bring the cumulative total to 1,094,275 since the pandemic began, according to a statistical dashboard maintained by the Texas Department of State Health Services. To date, according to the dashboard, 20,556 people have died of the respiratory illness across Texas. The data also show 8,174 hospitalizations as of Sunday — an 900-patient increase from one week ago — with 162,393 active illness cases.

While sizable, the 8,554 new cases of respiratory illness are significantly less — by 4,043 newly confirmed diagnoses — then a new single-day high 12,597 new cases reported on Saturday. That surge in new cases shattered the previous record of 10,826 reported four days prior this past Tuesday. The number of deaths in the past two-day period is 260 after the 171 deaths reported on Saturday.

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Health officials have partially blamed Halloween gatherings for illness upticks seen across the state since October, and a heightened urgency has taken hold as residents prepare for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday period. Many health officials across the state have urged people to opt out of Thanksgiving gatherings this year altogether, stressing an ongoing need for physical distancing and the wearing of protective facial masks to blunt the spread of illness.

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Despite the upticks, Gov. Greg Abbott has repeatedly said he would not issue an order calling for a statewide shutdown. Instead, the governor has taken to touting bamlanivimab, the Eli Lilly & Co. monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19, he suggests is on the horizon for wide distribution. The governor traveled to hard-hit Lubbock on Thursday where he announced an initial shipment of bamlanivimab was close for distribution to acute care hospitals across the state.

"Every day, the Lone Star State is closer to turning the corner of this pandemic thanks to medical advancements like bamlanivimab," Abbott said at the time. "This therapy drug will help prevent hospitalizations and reduce the strain on our healthcare system and workers. However, as encouraging as these advancements are, there is still no substitute for personal responsibility. The State urges all Texans to continue to wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands, especially as we head into the holiday season."

Bamlanivimab is for outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 who are aged 12 years or older and are at higher risk of severe disease, according to an advisory from the governor's office. It has been shown to prevent hospitalizations in some patients when used before they become very sick. The initial allocation will be focused on hospitals, according to the advisory, with the second phase planned for wider distribution to include other facilities such as nursing homes and infusion centers, according to the governor's office.

The governor said hospitals that were allocated doses should have received or will be receiving calls about their allocations over the next few days from AmerisourceBergen, the same distributor as remdesivir. Hospital officials will have the option of declining the shipment, the governor's office said, at which time doses will be reallocated to other Texas hospitals.

Notwithstanding the governor's bamlanivimab updates, state health officials urged residents to continue practicing safety precautions: "However, as encouraging as these advancements are, there is still no substitute for personal responsibility," Texas Department of State Health Services officials wrote on Twitter in sharing the governor's announcement on upcoming therapies. "The state urges all Texans to continue to wear a mask, social distance, and wash your hands, especially as we head into the holiday season."

In the meantime, the coronavirus tally continues to grow. According to the state dashboard, the top 20 counties with the highest number of cumulative cases are:

• Harris County: 181,361.
• Dallas County: 117,151.
• El Paso County: 81,179.
• Tarrant County: 80,157.
• Bexar County: 60,727.
• Hidalgo County: 40,085.
• Travis County: 36,175.
• Lubbock County: 28,375.
• Cameron County: 25,507.
• Collin County: 23,381.
• Fort Bend County: 19,352.
• Webb County: 18,705.
• Denton County: 18,382.
• Nueces County: 17,284.
• Montgomery County: 14,815.
• Galveston County: 14,126.
• Brazoria County: 13,824.
• McLennan County: 13,375.
• Williamson County: 11,559.
• Potter County: 11,521.

The top 25 counties with the greatest number of coronavirus deaths to date are:

• Harris County: 2,965.
• Hidalgo County: 1,802.
• Bexar County: 1,476.
• Dallas County: 1,466.
• Cameron County: 1,005.
• Tarrant County: 986.
• El Paso County: 973.
• Travis County: 467.
• Nueces County: 421.
• Webb County: 371.
• Fort Bend County: 325.
• Lubbock County: 303.
• Collin County: 238.
• Montgomery County: 204.
• Denton County: 202.
• Brazoria County: 195.
• Smith County: 188.
• Starr County: 188.
• Galveston County: 178.
• McLennan County: 175.
• Jefferson County: 174.
• Maverick County: 171.
• Williamson County: 164.
• Potter County: 139.
• Val Verde County: 138.

To view the full range of coronavirus data across the state, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services dashboard.