Story at a glance
- Texas recorded a high of 58 fatalities on Thursday.
- These numbers come as the state begins to reopen, with new cases climbing.
As the state begins to reopen, Texas recorded 58 coronavirus-related deaths Thursday — the highest single-day count since the onset of the pandemic.
The Star-Fort Worth Telegram reports that there have been 116 deaths over the past three days, the most in a three-day stretch during the pandemic.
These fatalities come as Gov. Greg Abbott’s (R) stay-at-home mandate expired on April 30. Retail stores have been permitted to open at limited capacity, along with restaurants and salons.
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Abbott spoke on television Thursday night, focusing on recent increases in daily tests across the state, the Telegram reports. The governor had set a goal to conduct at least 25,000 tests per day, which the state reportedly reached over the past few days.
Texas officials are considering whether to increase capacity and allow additional businesses to open, Abbot told local station Fox KRIV. Bars are among the businesses that are still closed, and the governor has received recommendations on how to safely open them again.
“We’ve got some fantastic strategies provided by bars that would lead to ways of separating people that would be able to create distancing strategies that we are running by our medical team, and hopefully we will be able to make an announcement on Monday about this,” Abbott said.
The Telegram also writes that during an interview with KBTX in College Station, Texas, Abbott said that hospitals still have capacity to handle a possible surge in coronavirus cases. The governor emphasized a downward trend in new cases and hospitalizations.
“What we look at is the real data about what’s taking place, and here’s the fact: The fact is that the growth rate of COVID-19 in the state of Texas is leveling off,” he said. “The fact is that hospitalizations, for example, they’re 28 fewer today than they were yesterday and yesterday they were lower than the day before.”
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“The fact of the matter is, hospitalizations in the state of Texas have stayed relatively flat during this entire time,” Abbot added.
Currently, Texas has 44,485 total cases reported, with 24,487 recovered and 1,235 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins University data. There has been a positive trajectory of new cases in Texas since late March, according to state data.
Deaths in Texas from the coronavirus have also been rising since late March.
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