Texas shatters daily coronavirus case record with nearly 27K tally

Texas on Tuesday shattered its daily record for coronavirus cases. 

The state reported 26,990 new COVID-19 cases, breaking the previous daily record set less than a week ago, according to Bloomberg News. 

Tuesday’s tally for new coronavirus cases was 41 percent higher than the previous record, which was set on Dec. 23. 

Separately, the state set a new record for COVID-19 hospitalizations, the outlet reported, with 11,775.

Texas, like many states across the South and West, has struggled to contain a second surge of the virus that has gripped the nation in recent months. 

The state has seen its seven day average of positivity rate hold over 15 percent over the last week, the Texas Tribune reported. 

“If the positivity test rate is more than 10 percent, that’s one of those red flags that we begin to look at,” the Tribune reported Gov. Greg Abbott (R) as saying in early May.

Abbott on Tuesday was reportedly set to receive a coronavirus vaccine in a bid to increase public confidence in its safety and efficacy.