AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Texas continues to report more than 10,000 patients hospitalized with the coronavirus as the state tries containing the spread in what has become one of America's biggest hot zones.

As Republican Gov. Greg Abbott warns that the worst is yet to come in Texas, state health officials Monday reported more than 40 new deaths and 5,600 new cases.

County leaders in the hard-hit Rio Grande Valley on Monday asked Abbott to give them broader emergency powers as hospitals exceed capacity.

Top officials in Houston have also called for stay-at-home orders, while Abbott has said putting Texas back on lockdown is a last resort.