TEXAS — The delta variant-fueled COVID-19 virus shows no know signs of abating in Texas.


What You Need To Know

  • Texas on Wednesday reported 25,104 new cases of COVID-19, 20,058 of which are confirmed

  • That marks the second consecutive day the state has reported more than 20,000 new cases 

  • More than 12,000 Texans are currently being treated for the virus in hospitals, and, officially, mask mandates remain banned in the state

  • The federal government Wednesday announced booster vaccine shots will be available to Americans beginning in September

For the second consecutive day, the state health department has reported in excess of 20,000 new cases for a single day.

The Texas Department of State Health Services on Wednesday reported 25,104 new cases of the virus, 20,058 of which are confirmed and 5,046 of which are probable.

The state additionally reported 174 new deaths attributed to the virus Wednesday. There are currently 12,402 Texans hospitalized with the virus. The state has just 322 available ICU beds.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention now considers the vast majority of the country an area of high COVID transmission. That includes nearly all of Texas. In fact, the only state not currently regarded as one with largely high transmission is Nebraska.

The numbers come as mask and vaccine mandates continue to be prohibited in Texas by executive order. Numerous school districts and local governments have instituted them anyway. Despite testing positive for COVID-19 earlier this week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to stand by his orders forbidding mask mandates.

On Wednesday, federal health officials announced plans to offer Americans COVID-19 booster shots beginning the week of Sept. 20, eight months after their second dose of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines, pending approval from the FDA and CDC.

The boosters will be a third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccines – federal health officials say people who have received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine will likely need a booster dose, but they are still reviewing data from the single-shot inoculation.

The boosters are expected for Americans 18 and older, officials said, and they will first go to people vaccinated earliest in the process, such as in December or January.

Less than half of Texas’ population is fully vaccinated.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.