Coronavirus: Texas Illness Count Tops 9,000

AUSTIN, TX — The number of coronavirus cases across the state grew by 1,091 on Wednesday — breaking a record for the biggest single-day uptick set on Tuesday. The statewide illness count is now 9,353.

Along with newly diagnosed patients, 23 more fatalities were reported by Texas Department of State Health Services officials. To date, 177 people have died of the respiratory illness caused by the COVID-19 virus — a 15 percent increase from the previous 24-hour period.

Harris County is the region with the highest illness concentration, with 2,146 as posted in the state health agency's dashboard. Dallas County has reported the second highest level, with 1,261 cases. Travis County came in third, with 554 cases.

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According to information found on the website, six new counties reported their first coronavirus cases. Those newly diagnosed cases yield another grim illness milestone, with more than half of the state's 254 counties now reporting at least one case, as the Texas Tribune noted in its report.

The end-of-day count on Wednesday supplants Tuesday as the day with the highest 24-hour incease. On Tuesday, the number of coronavirus cases in Texas rose by 986 in bringing the total to 8,262.

Previous story: Coronavirus: Texas Records Biggest Single-Day Rise Of Illness

Yet even as they dutifully recorded the grim milestone reached on Wednesday in the interest of transparency, Texas Department of State Health Services officials offered a glimmer of hope. Along with the exhaustive total-count data, per-county figures and affliction comparisons broken down by age group and gender, official recorded that 770 patients across Texas have recovered from the scourge of illness.