Texas Reports More Than 1,800 New Coronavirus Cases In 24 Hours

AUSTIN, TX — The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Texas increased by more than 1,800 Saturday — the highest single-day total to date and the ninth consecutive day with more than 1,000 new reports of the illness. In all, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services reported 1,801 new cases and an additional 33 deaths.

Nearly 40 percent of Saturday's new cases were centered around Amarillo, where the state reported 734 new cases in a single day. Gov. Greg Abbott in a statement attributed the spike to an increase in testing after he deployed a surge response team to the area earlier this month.

"As Texas continues ramping up its testing capabilities, there will be an increase in positive cases as the state targets the most high-risk areas: nursing homes, meat packing plants and jails," Abbott said in the statement. "That is exactly why I established Surge Response Teams. By immediately deploying resources and supplies to these high risk areas, we will identify the positive cases, isolate the individuals and ensure any outbreak is quickly contained, which is the strategy being deployed in Amarillo."

Coronavirus-related illnesses in Texas are reported on a dashboard that is updated daily. Saturday's numbers follow single-day highs of 1,458 new cases and 58 deaths Thursday, and only slightly lower totals Friday with 1,347 new cases and 56 new deaths reported.

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According to the state's statistical dashboard, the highest rates of illness as of Saturday were in the following counties:

• Harris County: 9,050 cases (233 more cases than Friday)
• Dallas County: 7,036 cases (199 more)
• Tarrant County: 4,266 cases (55 more)
• Travis County: 2,381 cases (36 more)
• Bexar County: 2,120 cases (79 more)
• Potter County: 2,080 cases
• El Paso County: 1,655 cases (48 more)
• Fort Bend County: 1,510 cases (40 more)
• Denton County: 1,040 cases
• Collin County: 1,008 cases

Despite cumulative increases in illness, few states are rebooting quicker than Texas, where stay-at-home orders expired May 1. The first phase of the reopening began with restaurants, malls and movie theaters, with operators directed to keep occupancy levels at 25 percent.

The next week — one week ahead of initial plans — the second phase of the state reopening was launched with barbershops, nail salons, tanning booths among other businesses allowed to reopen at the same limited capacity.

More businesses, including gyms, are slated to reopen Monday.

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• Coronavirus: Texas Illness Count Reaches 43,851, 58 More Deaths
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• Coronavirus: Texas Illness Count Crosses 40K Mark, 25 More Deaths
• Coronavirus: Abbott To Let More Businesses Reopen Friday
• Texas Governor Allows Malls, Restaurants, More To Open By May 1
• Coronavirus: Governor Outlines Plan To Reopen Texas Economy

Gov. Greg Abbott originally said he would wait to see illness trends after the first phase of reopening, allowing for a two-week period before implementing the second phase. Ultimately, the governor triggered the second phase of business reopenings after a week rather than the two-week period he initially indicated.

Abbott has defended the pace by emphasizing that hospitalization and infection rates are steady, and pointing out that the state's deaths still lag similarly big states, including California and Florida, The Associated Press reported.

Regardless, a political confrontation is growing as Texas cities attempt to keep some regulations in place. The dispute only highlights the chasm between Democrats who run city halls and GOP leaders who call the shots in the state capital.

Republican Attorney General Ken Paxton this week lashed out at the cities of Dallas, Austin and San Antonio over what he called “unlawful” local orders that are tougher than restrictions prescribed by Abbott, and threatened lawsuits if the cities don’t back off.

>>> Patch staff writer Tony Cantú contributed to this report.