Texas Coronavirus: Illness Case Count Passes 13K Mark; 271 Deaths

Gus Saltonstall
Updated ·2 min read

AUSTIN, TX — More than 13,400 cases of the new coronavirus have been confirmed in Texas as of Sunday and 17 more Texans have died from complications related to the illness, according to the latest figures released by the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The confirmed cases — 13,484 — represent an increase of 923 known cases in the past 24-hour period and the total number of deaths in the state now stands at 271. Over 124,000 tests for COVID-19 have been conducted in Texas both at the state's public health lab and private labs.

As of Sunday, 1,338 patients in the state are currently hospitalized due to COVID-19 and 2,014 have recovered from the virus.

In other news on Sunday, Gov. Greg Abbott extended his Disaster Declaration for the entire state in response to COVID-19. Abbott originally issued the declaration on March 13.

"By extending my Disaster Declaration, we are ensuring the state of Texas continues to have adequate resources and capabilities to support our communities and protect public health," said Governor Abbott in a news release. "I urge all Texans to continue practicing social distancing and abide by the guidelines laid out by the CDC and my Executive Orders to slow the spread of COVID-19."

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Here are the counties with the highest number of confirmed cases:

  • Harris County: 3,561

  • Dallas: 1,644

  • Tarrant: 787

  • Travis: 744

  • Bexar: 723

  • Fort Bend: 536

  • Denton: 474

  • Collin: 441

  • Galveston: 355

  • Lubbock: 270

  • El Paso: 269

  • Montgomery: 251

The Texas Department of State Health Services provides the following advice to help prevent the spread of coronavirus:

  • Wash hands often for 20 seconds and encourage others to do the same.

  • If no soap and water are available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

  • Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue away.

  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

  • Disinfect surfaces, buttons, handles, knobs, and other places touched often.

  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.

For more data, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services dashboard.

This article originally appeared on the Austin Patch