Nearly 4 weeks after reopening, Texas COVID hospitalizations continue to drop

DALLAS (AP) — The count of people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Texas has continued to decline, even as state health officials reported more than 1,600 new cases of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus Sunday.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 21 new fatalities from COVID-19 Sunday, along with 1,465 confirmed cases of the virus and 219 probable cases.

There were 2,817 people in state hospitals with the disease Saturday, the most recent day for which data is available. That’s the fewest since June of last year.

According to Johns Hopkins University data, the lower hospitalization count comes as more than 15% of Texans have been fully vaccinated. The federal Centers for Disease Control reports 27% of the state’s population has received at least one dose.

Around one in twenty coronavirus tests administered in Texas over the last week have come back positive, according to the university data.

According to state health officials, Texas is set to receive 2.5 million more doses of coronavirus vaccines this week. All Texans 16 and older are eligible to receive the vaccine.