TEXAS — Likely fueled by the highly contagious omicron variant, Texas is reporting new case totals not seen in months in the state.
The Texas Department of State Health Services on Wednesday reported 10,610 new confirmed cases of the virus as well as 1,866 new probable cases.
The state reported an additional 89 fatalities attributed to the disease on Wednesday.
The needle hasn’t moved as much when it comes to hospitalizations. As of Wednesday, 3,376 COVID-19 patients are hospitalized in Texas. Of them, 2,270 are in general hospital beds and 1,007 are in intensive care.
There are currently 99 pediatric patients hospitalized in Texas and 622 total patients are on ventilators.
The Houston Chronicle this week noted that COVID deaths in Texas in 2021 surpassed those in 2020 despite the fact that vaccines have been widely available since March.
Johns Hopkins University researches put the total number of COVID-19 deaths in Texas at 75,322. The university lists Texas’ current testing positivity rate at 11.62%.
It might be some time before we see what effects holiday gatherings will have on case totals and hospitalizations in Texas. DSHS will not update its COVID-19 dashboard again until Monday, Dec. 27.