Texas Reports 6,576 New Coronavirus Cases, 32 New Deaths

AUSTIN, TX — Texas reported 6,576 new cases of the coronavirus and 32 additional deaths on Monday, state health district officials confirmed. Since the onset of the pandemic, there have been a cumulative 1.1 million cases of the respiratory illness along with 20,588 fatalities.

The data are input in a statistical dashboard maintained by the Texas Department of State Health Services. The number of active cases of the illness currently is 165,126, according to the dashboard.

In a three-day period, 27,727 new cases of the respiratory illness have been confirmed — including the record 12,597 on Saturday that is now the single-day high. In the same period of time, 282 Texas residents have succumbed to the illness — bringing the cumulative number of deaths to the aforementioned 20,588.

• From Saturday: Texas Logs Record 12,597 New Coronavirus Cases, 171 More Deaths
• From Sunday: Texas Gains 8,554 New Coronavirus Cases, 89 More Deaths

Despite the soaring rates of illness, Gov. Greg Abbott has said he has no plans to issues a statewide shutdown to help blunt the spread of illness. Instead, the governor has been touting imminent distribution of certain therapies to help treat the respiratory illness.

Instead, the governor has taken to touting coronavirus-treating drugs he says are on the horizon. The governor traveled to hard-hit Lubbock, Texas, on Thursday where he announced an initial shipment of bamlanivimab — the Eli Lilly & Co. monoclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 — was close for distribution to acute care hospitals across the state.

By Monday, state officials announced guiding principles for the state's COVID-19 vaccine allocation process, which they said will serve as foundation for initial distribution for COVID-19 vaccines expected as early as next month. State officials noted the principles were established by the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel (EVAP), created by the Texas Department of State Health Services to make recommendations on vaccine allocation decisions, including identifying groups that should be vaccinated first to provide the most protection to vulnerable populations and critical state resources.

"These guiding principles established by the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel will ensure that the State of Texas swiftly distributes the COVID-19 vaccine to Texans who voluntarily choose to be immunized," Gov. Abbott said. "This foundation for the allocation process will help us mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in our communities, protect the most vulnerable Texans, and safeguard crucial state resources."

Texas will initially allocate COVID-19 vaccines based on the following criteria:

• Protecting health care workers who fill a critical role in caring for and preserving the lives of COVID-19 patients and maintaining the health care infrastructure for all who need it.
• Protecting frontline workers who are at greater risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the nature of their work providing critical services and preserving the economy.
• Protecting vulnerable populations who are at greater risk of severe disease and death if they contract COVID-19.
• Mitigating health inequities due to factors such as demographics, poverty, insurance status and geography.
• Data-driven allocations using the best available scientific evidence and epidemiology at the time, allowing for flexibility for local conditions.
• Geographic diversity through a balanced approach that considers access in urban and rural communities and in affected ZIP codes.
• Transparency through sharing allocations with the public and seeking public feedback.

The Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel has recommended — and Commissioner of Health John Hellerstedt has approved — health care workers are likely to provide direct care for COVID-19 patients and other vulnerable residents to be the first group to receive the vaccine. This includes staff at hospitals and long-term care facilities, emergency medical services and home health care workers, officials said. As part of its ongoing work, the allocation panel will make recommendations on how and when to roll out vaccine to other critical groups, officials said.

The Austin-based Texas Hospital Association issued a statement endorsing the plan hours after it was revealed. Founded in 1930, the group represents more than 85 percent of the state’s acute-care hospitals and health care systems — collectively employing some 400,000 health care professionals statewide.

In Central Texas alone, the association represents 70 members from Waco to San Marcos — including independent hospitals, health care systems, ambulatory care institutions, psychiatric and rehabilitation hospitals and non- and for-profit hospitals. In the state capital, Baylor Scott & White, Ascension Health and St. David's are members.

"The speed, thought and teamwork that went into the state’s vaccine plan is tremendous, and we’re grateful to see top billing for health care workers as they press on every day under the weight of this deadly disease," the association wrote in a prepared statement. "Protecting health care workers is an important step to ensuring a healthy workforce able to treat those who become acutely ill."

The plan represents hope on the horizon, the association suggested: "With a solid plan, an imminent vaccine and better treatment protocols, we can start to see a light at the end of the tunnel. We are confident in the state’s plan that puts hospital staff — including physicians, nurses, respiratory therapists and other clinical and support staff — working with high-risk patients in the first tier for vaccine allocation.

The Texas Hospital Association has a further vested interest in the plan given its role as an ad hoc member of the Expert Vaccine Allocation Panel, officials added. The group "...applauds the work of the group and continues to push for the resources hospital workers need to protect themselves and their families while they work on the front lines," a statement from the association read. "Texas continues to flex resources and trigger additional staffing so people get the care they need, but public prevention must stay strong."

Until the vaccine's arrival, the association urged the use of protective face coverings, physical distancing and avoidance of large gatherings as key steps to fighting disease spread. Texas hospitals are on high alert for additional hotspots ahead of the holidays as hospitalizations climb above 8,000, officials said.

"On behalf of nearly 500 Texas hospitals and their employees, THA urges the public to strictly heed all precautions and stay vigilant so that hospitals can remain ready and able to provide help to those who need it most," the association said.

But not everyone is happy. The soaring rates of illness have yielded political fodder for Democrats who place the blame on bolstered cases squarely on the governor and his party's ranks. Texas Democratic Party Chair Gilberto Hinojosa issued a prepared statement on the matter: “Failed Republican Gov. Abbott and the Republican Party are giving Texans only choices in this pandemic: catch the coronavirus and die, or catch the coronavirus and hopefully you don’t end up on life support."

Hinjosa added: “True leadership would understand that we can only save the economy by stopping the further spread of this disease that has taken too many already. How many Texans must die for the Republicans to finally take this seriously? For the sake of all Texans, Gov. Abbott must stop following Trump's disastrous legacy on this pandemic and instead give our people the resources, information, and local power they need to have a fighting chance to turn this around.”

As health officials await development of a vaccine, illness and death counts continue to rise. According to the state dashboard, the 20 counties with the highest number of cumulative coronavirus cases are:

• Harris County: 182,192.
• Dallas County: 118,962.
• Tarrant County: 81,600.
• El Paso County: 81,511.
• Bexar County: 61,263.
• Hidalgo County: 40,085.
• Travis County: 36,436.
• Lubbock County: 28,873.
• Cameron County: 25,507.
• Collin County: 23,784.
• Fort Bend County: 19,352.
• Webb County: 18,821.
• Denton County: 18,382.
• Nueces County: 17,363.
• Montgomery County: 14,815.
• Galveston County: 14,126.
• Brazoria County: 13,857.
• McLennan County: 13,375.
• Williamson County: 11,559.
• Potter County: 11,521.

According to the dashboard, the top 25 counties with the highest number of coronavirus fatalities to date are:

• Harris County: 2,965.
• Hidalgo County: 1,802.
• Bexar County: 1,476.
• Dallas County: 1,468.
• Cameron County: 1,005.
• Tarrant County: 987.
• El Paso County: 980.
• Travis County: 467.
• Nueces County: 421.
• Webb County: 371.
• Fort Bend County: 325.
• Lubbock County: 306.
• Collin County: 239.
• Montgomery County: 205.
• Denton County: 202.
• Brazoria County: 196.
• Smith County: 188.
• Starr County: 188.
• Galveston County: 178.
• McLennan County: 176.
• Jefferson County: 173.
• Maverick County: 171.
• Williamson County: 164.
• Potter County: 142.
• Val Verde County: 138.