Coronavirus: Texas Illness Count Nears 50K, 22 More Deaths

AUSTIN, TX — As the state launched another round of economic reopening this week, the spread of the coronavirus neared 50,000 on Tuesday and 22 more died of the respiratory illness.

The upshot: The number of coronavirus cases on Tuesday stood at 49,912 — up 1,219 from the 48,693 diagnoses reported the previous day. To date, 1,369 fatalities have been reported to date — 22 more than the death count of 1,347 reported 24 hours before.

The new figures also break a two-day streak of less than 1,000 cases reported in 24-hour intervals that ended Monday. Before that, the state experienced a 10-day streak of days seeing 1,000-plus new cases of the respiratory illness.

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Last Saturday, May 16, saw the biggest, single-day hike in cases when 1,801 new cases were reported. Within that spike were 734 cases of coronavirus diagnosed in Amarillo, Texas, centered around a meat manufacturing plant, according to reports.

The illness uptick comes during a week when Gov. Greg Abbott launched another round of business reopening in an effort to reignite the stilled state economy. On Monday, the governor issued another Executive Order in calling for various types of businesses to open — including child care centers, massage and personal-care centers and youth clubs that were allowed to reopen on Monday.

Other businesses slated to reopen in the coming days by virtue of the gubernatorial decree:

• Child Care Centers (May 18)
• Massage and Personal-Care Centers (May 18)
• Youth Clubs (May 18)
• Rodeo and Equestrian Events (May 22)
• Bowling Alleys, Bingo Halls, Simulcast Racing, and Skating Rinks (May 22)
• Bars (May 22)
• Aquariums and Natural Caverns (May 22)
• Zoos (May 29)
• Day Youth Camps (May 31)
• Overnight Youth Camps (May 31)
• Youth Sports (May 31)
• Certain professional sports without in-person spectators (May 31)

Previously, Abbott called for restaurants, movie theaters and malls to reopen albeit at limited occupancy. The following week, the governor allowed more businesses to open, including barbershops and nail salons.

Related stories:

• Texas Bars Slated To Reopen; Restaurant Occupancy Doubled
• Coronavirus: Texas Illness Count Passes 45K Mark, 56 More Deaths

Some worry the brisk pace of reopening may usher in — and expedite — a new wave of illness outbreak. But Abbott assured on Monday that the gradual reopening of the economy has been guided by advice from health officials and a critical eye on illness trends — "doctors and data," as the governor has often summarized.

"Every decision I have made, as well as every decision I have announced today, is supported by our team of medical experts," Abbott said on Monday. "That commitment to data and doctors underpins today's announcement."

During his announcement, Abbott cited White House recommendations guiding states to reopen their economies, with the central barometer being a downward trajectory of coronavirus cases over a two-week period. "A downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests within a 14 day period," Abbott explained. "And that is exactly what we have seen in Texas. The past month has shown a downward trajectory in the positivity rate. For example, on April the 13th, the seven-day rolling average was about 13.8 percent. Since then that rate has steadily declined to now about 5 percent.

But others have noted the cumulative rate of illness has continued its upward trend in Texas. As reported by the Texas Tribune, the number of new cases reported each day has grown from an average of about 918 during the week ending May 1 to about 1,227 this week.

To assuage such concerns, Abbott also touted an abundance of available hospital beds as part of his reasoning to further reopen the state economy. He attributed increases in the case numbers as to amplified testing for the virus: "To state the obvious, as testing increases so will raw number of people testing positive," Abbott noted. "What matters most is the percentage of people testing positive," he added, saying the decision to open up more businesses was due to a perceived downward trajectory of positive data.

A screenshot from the Texas Department of Health Services dashboard chronicling the rate of illness across the state.