U.S. Coronavirus Cases Top 2 Million As Texas Sees Record Number Of Hospitalizations
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - There are now more than 2 million confirmed coronavirus cases in the United States, this as infections are rising in Texas and more than a dozen other states.
According to Johns Hopkins University, more than 112,000 people have died from COVID-19 in the U.S. — the most fatalities of any nation. While it took more than two months for the U.S. to mark 1 million confirmed cases, it took just six weeks to double that number.
More than 533,000 people have recovered from the virus and over 21 million have been tested across the nation.
The novel strain of coronavirus was discovered in Wuhan, China in late 2019 and has spread worldwide. On Sunday, more than 136,000 new cases were reported to the World Health Organization, largely driven by outbreaks in the Americas and South Asia.
Every state in the union has begun the process of easing stay-at-home orders and reopening shuttered businesses, but Texas began reopening faster than much of the country.
For three consecutive days this week the state has set new records for COVID-19 hospitalizations. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, there are some 2,153 patients being treated for the coronavirus. That number is up from 2,056 patients on Tuesday and 1,935 patients Monday.
The number of hospitalizations in Texas has jumped 42% since Memorial Day. Texas' percentage of tests coming back positive has also jumped to levels that are among the nation's highest.
The state was among the first to start the reopening process, and Gov. Greg Abbott is moving forward with plans to raise occupancy limits for bars, restaurants, amusement parks and other businesses.