Texas reports record highs for daily coronavirus cases, deaths

Texas has set grim records for single-day deaths and new COVID-19 cases as the Lone Star State continues to get rocked by a resurgence of the pandemic.

The state reported 110 deaths and 10,791 new cases of the virus on Wednesday, bringing its total number of cases during the pandemic to 282,365. It was the second consecutive day that Texas broke its record for daily number of new cases.

Texas was one of the first states to reopen its economy amid the pandemic, but the recent spike in cases forced Gov. Greg Abbott (R) to reinstate restrictions, including reshuttering bars. Additionally, the governor has made it mandatory for most Texans to wear masks while in public.

Wednesday was the sixth day in a row that the state reported more than 10,000 active COVID-19 hospitalizations. Because of the rising hospitalization numbers, Abbott announced that the Department of Defense was a sending a medical task force to the Rio Grande Valley to provide additional support to the hospitals there.

“I am grateful to our federal partners at the Department of Defense for sending these teams to the Valley and working within the community to protect public health and combat this virus,” Abbott said in a statement. “These teams, coupled with our newly established partnership with local hotels, will aid in our efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 and ensure adequate hospital capacity in the Valley.”

The Rio Grande Valley is almost out of ICU beds, reporting just 14 available beds on Wednesday.

Overall in the Texas, there are 858 ICU beds and 10,586 open hospital beds.