TEXAS — The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention earlier this week pleaded with unvaccinated Americans not to travel over Labor Day weekend.

What You Need To Know

  • Texas on Thursday reported 21,967 new cases of COVID-19, 17,099 of which are confirmed and 4,868 are probable

  • The state recorded 341 more deaths attributed to the virus Thursday 

  • There are currently 13,790 Texans being treated for the virus in hospitals

  • A total 3,794 Texans are currently in intensive care, 282 of whom are pediatric patients 

Case numbers, hospitalizations and deaths being reported in Texas help to explain why.

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Thursday reported 21,967 new COVID-19 cases, of which 17,099 are confirmed and 4,868 are probable.

The state additionally reported 341 deaths on Thursday.

Texas currently has 13,790 residents hospitalized with the disease, 9,714 of whom are in general hospital beds and 3,794 of whom are in intensive care.

As of Thursday DSHS reports a total 3,057,285 cases of COVID-19 in the state. Harris County, home of Houston, has reported the most cases at 501,798, followed by Dallas and Tarrant counties.

There are currently 282 pediatric patients in ICUs and the state is down to a total 316 available staffed adult ICU beds and 81 available pediatric ICU beds.

Johns Hopkins University puts Texas’ current testing positivity rate at 12.11%. Researchers there report say the virus has claimed the lives of 57,704 Texans as of Thursday.