HOUSTON – The Texas Tribune is using data from the Texas Department of State Health Services to track how many people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Texas each day. The state data comes from 57 city and county health departments, about 600 hospitals and 340 laboratories and the state vital records registration. It may not represent all cases of the disease given limited testing.
How many people are in the hospital?
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On March 2, there were at least 3,199 hospitalized patients in Texas with confirmed coronavirus infections. This data does not account for people who are hospitalized but have not gotten a positive test, and the Texas Department of State Health Services says some hospitals may be missing from the daily counts.
These numbers do not include beds at psychiatric hospitals or other psychiatric facilities, according to DSHS. They do include psychiatric and pediatric beds at general hospitals, and pediatric beds at children’s hospitals.
Total current hospitalizations
The state says roughly 2% to 6% of Texas hospitals do not report hospitalization data each day. The average number of hospitalizations reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by deemphasizing daily swings.
How many people have died?
The first death linked to the coronavirus in Texas occurred March 16, 2020 in Matagorda County. As of March 3, 2022, 83,997 people who tested positive for the virus have died.
New deaths from coronavirus reported each day
The average number of deaths reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by deemphasizing daily swings.
How has the number of cases increased each day?
On March 24, the Texas Department of State Health Services changed its reporting system to track case counts directly from counties instead of relying on official case forms, which came in later and caused the state’s official count to lag behind other tallies.
Increases in testing also led to more detected cases. Health experts say that even gradual steps to reopen businesses will increase the number of people who become sick from the virus.
New cases of coronavirus each day
The average number of cases reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by deemphasizing daily swings. The number of new cases reported drops on weekends, when labs are less likely to report new data to the state.