Texas Coronavirus Updates

[catfish1957]

My two cents (and I'm not a Texan) -- I wish our governor would mandate masks -- too many youngsters and others who feel that it's not going to affect them -- they could be asymptomatic and pass it on to others. Too many illegals not social distancing nor practicing basic hygiene. FL experienced an increase today of over 10,000 new cases.  An 11 year old died of corona today -- no record of contact with anyone having the virus and hadn't been outside the state. Last week a 17 year old died of corona.

I believe this is a different strain then before and that's why the increase of cases and it's affecting kids too.  Time that we all try to do what we can to contain the spread.

Whether or not the masks work is very debatable, but if they do help, then great, no harm done.

Would agree if the mandate was in businesses, establishments, or in gatherings.  It's the old sweeping and imcompassive "in public" aspect that is giving me heartburn.

[Elderberry]

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/02/coronavirus-texas-cases-latest-updates-san-antonio/

As of July 4, Texas says 191,790 people test positive for coronavirus

The Texas Department of State Health Services is tracking COVID-19 cases in Texas by county. The numbers are reported by local health officials and may not represent all cases of the disease given limited testing. The state numbers may lag behind other local news reports and cases that local health officials are disclosing.

State data released the morning of July 4 shows that there were at least 191,790 coronavirus cases in Texas. There were 2,608 reported deaths and 7,890 patients are known to be hospitalized.

 As of July 3, at least 2,071,809 viral tests and 201,782 antibody tests have been administered.

County      Number     Deaths
          of cases   

Harris     35,316       395
Dallas     23,675       393
Bexar      14,212       117
Tarrant    13,423       233
Travis     11,009       134
El Paso     6,953       135
Hidalgo     4,798        58
Fort Bend   4,120        56
Galveston   3,990        46
Collin      3,321        46
       
Statewide 191,790     2,608

See all (246) at link.

[Elderberry]

Claiming confusion, Texas Medical Center changes how it reports ICU capacity amid COVID-19

Houston Chronicle by  Mike Morris and Zach Despart June 29, 2020

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-hospitals-hit-100-base-ICU-capacity-15372256.php

Texas Medical Center hospitals stopped updating key metrics showing the stress rising numbers of COVID-19 patients were placing on their facilities for more than three days, rattling policymakers and residents who have relied on the information to gauge the spread of the coronavirus.

Houston Methodist CEO Dr. Marc Boom stressed that the new data was not reinvented — all the figures and projection models are the same — but was simply reformatted in an effort to make clear that reaching 100 percent of capacity in an ICU is a moving target. TMC hospitals have a combined 373 beds, for instance, that can become ICU beds with a “challenging” but “doable” amount of effort, Boom said, with the reassignment of trained staff and equipment.

Doing so would take the TMC facilities’ combined 93 percent ICU capacity as of the Sunday report down to 72 percent, the chart shows.

Boom said he and his peers knew as the pandemic wore on that the measurement of ICU capacity the slides displayed was imperfect and did not convey the way they are run, but did not revisit the charts as quickly as they should have.

More at link.

[Elderberry]

Enough Houston Coronavirus Hysteria

Lawrence Person's BattleSwarm Blog 7/7/2020

https://www.battleswarmblog.com/?p=44913

The media, desperate to reimpose lockdowns to hurt the economy (and thus the economy and Trump’s popularity), has made a great deal of hay over Houston hospitals being near their ICU capacity.

Those breathless reports of 90+% ICU rates ignore the fact that such utilization rates are entirely normal:

    “What you’ve been hearing is a report that we are at 97 percent or so capacity across the Texas medical center. At Houston Methodist, we’re somewhere in the low 90s right now in terms of capacity of ICU beds, but let me put that in perspective … June 25 2019, exactly one year ago … It was at 95 percent. We are highly experienced at utilizing our ICU beds for the sickest of the sick patients day in day out … and it is completely normal for us to have ICU capacities that run in the 80s and 90s. That’s how all of us operate hospitals, and how all hospitals operate.”

    “The capacity that’s being reported is base capacity … we have the ability to go far higher than that in terms of the ICU beds that we can utilize for COVID.”

    “We have, across Houston Methodist, 24 hundred beds 330 or so of those are our ICU beds on a normal day, but there is an ability to flex beds back and forth. We can turn regular beds into ICU as we need to with appropriate staff, ventilators, and other equipment. We can turn many other areas in the hospital like some of the recovery areas, pre and post surgical areas, and places like that into ICUs.”

More at link.

[Victoria33]

bm

[catfish1957]

Enough Houston Coronavirus Hysteria

I didn't crunch the numbers exact. but it looks like about a 200% increase in COVID-19 used beds in the past month.  You don't think another 200% surge would tax the capacity? 

[EdinVA]

I didn't crunch the numbers exact. but it looks like about a 200% increase in COVID-19 used beds in the past month.  You don't think another 200% surge would tax the capacity?

From what I have read, the hospitals are charging nearly $1 million per patient... they have enough money to pay for expansion

[roamer_1]

From what I have read, the hospitals are charging nearly $1 million per patient... they have enough money to pay for expansion

Doesn't even matter. I am absolutely sure the Feds will throw money at it.

[libertybele]

From what I have read, the hospitals are charging nearly $1 million per patient... they have enough money to pay for expansion

Insurance companies are footing the bill for the most part.  Expect private insurance premiums to skyrocket.

[Hoodat]

I get tested each time before beginning a 21-day hitch.  If I get infected during that hitch, it becomes a workman's comp claim as far as I am concerned.

[berdie]

Insurance companies are footing the bill for the most part.  Expect private insurance premiums to skyrocket.

Exactly.

[Elderberry]

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/03/02/coronavirus-texas-cases-latest-updates-san-antonio/

As of July 9, Texas says 230,346 people test positive for coronavirus

The Texas Department of State Health Services is tracking COVID-19 cases in Texas by county. The numbers are reported by local health officials and may not represent all cases of the disease given limited testing. The state numbers may lag behind other local news reports and cases that local health officials are disclosing.

State data released the morning of July 9 shows that there were at least 230,346 coronavirus cases in Texas. There were 2,918 reported deaths and 9,689 patients are known to be hospitalized. As of July 8, at least 2,313,212 viral tests and 213,728 antibody tests have been administered.

County      Number     Deaths
          of cases   

Harris     40,012       411
Dallas     29,160       426
Bexar      16,725       146
Tarrant    16,180       254
Travis     13,161       159
El Paso     8,385       145
Hidalgo     5,782        90
Galveston   5,063        50
Nueces      4,917        35
Fort Bend   4,413        60
       
Statewide 230,346     2,918

See all (246) at link.

[Elderberry]

Texas Coronavirus Update: Recoveries Continue to Soar

Texas Scorecard by  Robert Montoya July 14, 2020

https://texasscorecard.com/state/texas-coronavirus-update-recoveries-continue-to-soar/

There are 132,638 estimated recoveries compared to 3,192 deaths among Texas’ 29 million residents.

The latest data from Texas’ urban counties, as well as statewide data, show recoveries have jumped higher and are still outpacing deaths from the Chinese coronavirus, with a 31 percent jump in estimated recoveries statewide from last week. Out of Texas’ population of over 29 million, 3,192 have tragically died from the virus.

Tarrant County’s updated total reported recoveries from the virus increased to 8,735—up a whopping 41 percent from last week’s total. Deaths increased from last week’s report of 238 to 272—14 percent higher.

This pattern of high recoveries and low deaths continue to be mirrored in other counties across the state as of Monday.

•   Bexar County reported totals of 6,182 recoveries and 184 deaths.

•   Collin County reported 3,613 recoveries and 56 deaths.

•   Denton County reported 1,602 recoveries and 40 deaths.

•   Harris County reported 14,158 recoveries and 458 deaths.

•   Travis County reported 11,268 estimated recoveries and 169 deaths.

Data from Bexar, Denton, Tarrant, and Travis counties continue to confirm Tarrant County Public Health Director Dr. Vinny Taneja’s report that those over 65 and those with underlying conditions are at “high risk.”

Dallas County reported 457 deaths Monday out of 34,914 reported cases—roughly 76 times more reported cases than deaths. Dallas County doesn’t track recoveries or have an online dashboard to provide regular updates.

Statewide, there are an estimated 132,638 recoveries from the virus, compared with 3,192 deaths.

More at link.

[corbe]

[PeteS in CA]

Concur, @corbe. Especially the stat showing how many ICU beds are used by Covid patients out of the number available.

[catfish1957]

Concur, @corbe. Especially the stat showing how many ICU beds are used by Covid patients out of the number available.

Yep, looking more and more like just a bad bad flu epidemic every day.

[Hoodat]

Yep, looking more and more like just a bad bad flu epidemic every day.

Were it not an election year, it would be.

[corbe]

   On a positive note, all those GM Ventilators are apparently holding up, unlike their cars.

[Hoodat]

   On a positive note, all those GM Ventilators are apparently holding up, unlike their cars.

Corbe made a funny.  Well done.

[Elderberry]

   On a positive note, all those GM Ventilators are apparently holding up, unlike their cars.

You should know at mi casa I have a 56 3/4 ton, a 98 K1500, an 05 3/4 ton, a 95 vette, all GM, and a GM 350 engine in my 53 Willys and they're all holding up fine.

[corbe]

    Dodge Man here, for the last 30 years.

[Elderberry]

    Dodge Man here, for the last 30 years.

Never owned one and only worked on one once.  My sister had a 70's vintage Dodge pickup. She called me one Friday that her truck stopped going. It would go woodn woodn, but no moovee. I made my way from Clear lake over to Westheimer and found her. Her driveshaft had dropped from the front. Lucky she didn't pole vault. It looked like her front U joint had been bad long enough to destroy the yoke. I knew it wasn't anything I could get from the auto parts, but went to the first one I found. They said no gotta but suggested I go to a repair shop close by. Found it, the drive in doors were open, but I didn't see anyone. Then I saw a pair of legs under a car. I showed the mechanic the driveshaft and he said to look in a pointed out corner of the shop. Sure nuff there was a driveshaft that used the same slip yoke. Sold the whole shaft to me for $25. He never did get out from under that car. In no time at all I had my sis back on the road. Now way in hell would I have been so lucky if it happened to me.

[Hoodat]

[LadyLiberty]

I use this as a source to see what is going on in my county and surrounding counties wrt general and icu bed usage and availability. Unfortunately it only covers three hospital regions and not the whole state.

https://app.powerbi.com/view?r=eyJrIjoiYjU5MzU4NjAtZWJjMC00MTllLTkwYjYtMzE4ODY1YjAyMGU2IiwidCI6ImI3MjgwODdjLTgwZTgtNGQzMS04YjZmLTdlMGUzYmUxMGUwOCIsImMiOjN9

[Smokin Joe]

You should know at mi casa I have a 56 3/4 ton, a 98 K1500, an 05 3/4 ton, a 95 vette, all GM, and a GM 350 engine in my 53 Willys and they're all holding up fine.

86 Astro, 97 Safari, 97 Suburban, 98 Tahoe, 99 Suburban, 2000 Express 1-ton, and a 327 in my FJ-40.
Right now one Suburban is down over axle bearings, the FJ-40 is in need of some restoration, and there's a 75 G-10 that could use going through. The rest are on the pavement.

Oh, and there is the 87 Dodge D 150 with a slant 6 I use for a utility pickup.