Hidalgo County reported 27 more people died due to complications related to COVID-19 on Friday and 451 more people tested positive for the disease.
The county is now at 267 total deaths and 10,943 cases as the county surpasses 70,000 tests administered, according to a release issued by the county Friday.
“I send my condolences to these 27 families for the loss of their loved one,” said Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez. “Our medical experts tell us the best way to stop the spread is to wear a mask, use proper hygiene, keep 6 feet apart from others, and avoid any social gatherings of 10 people or more.”
There are currently 5,780 active cases in the county. There are 982 COVID-19 hospitalizations and 304 of those patients are being treated in an intensive care unit.
Cameron County health officials reported two more deaths Friday, raising their total to 91 deaths related to the coronavirus.
The two individuals were a 64-year-old Brownsville man who died at Valley Baptist Medical Center-Brownsville and a 53-year old Port Isabel woman who died at Starr County Memorial Hospital.
The county also reported 325 more positive cases for a total of 5,565 cases. Of those, 2,805 cases are currently active.
Several county employees also tested positive, according to a news release issued by county Judge Eddie Treviño.
The employees include one from the county clerk’s office, one from the adult probation office, three from the public works Precinct 3 office, one from the public works Precinct 1 office, one from county Court-at-Law No. 5, three from the juvenile probation department, 22 from the sheriff’s office, and six from the tax assessor-collector’s office.
In Starr County, there were 26 more confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Friday, according to Dr. Jose Vazquez, the county health authority.
The county now has a total of 1,388 cases. There are currently 906 active cases.
Starr has reported five official deaths, however there are 29 more that are pending state confirmation.
Seven more inmates and one employee of the Starr County Detention Center also tested positive for COVID-19 after mass tests were conducted at the facility earlier this week.
A strike team administered a total of 196 tests at the request of Sheriff Rene “Orta” Fuentes. The team tested a total of 138 inmates and 58 staff members.
From those tests, a total of nine inmates tested positive, including two that had been previously reported.
Additionally, Willacy County reported 22 more cases of the disease for a total of 462 confirmed cases.
