This is what the coronavirus curve and hospitalization rate in Texas looks like today


HOUSTON – Using data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, the Texas Tribune is tracking how many people have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Texas each day. The state data comes from local health officials, and it may not represent all cases of the disease given limited testing.

Gov. Greg Abbott is looking at two specific metrics to justify his decision to restart the Texas economy — the positive test rate and hospitalization levels. Here’s a look at those numbers:

How many people are in the hospital?

On April 6, the state started reporting the number of patients with positive tests who are hospitalized. It was 1,153 that day and 1,791 on May 16.

This data does not account for people who are hospitalized but have not gotten a positive test. As of mid-April, concerns that Texas hospitals would be unable to accommodate a surge of COVID-19 patients seem to have been assuaged.

As he makes decisions about how quickly to restart the Texas economy, Abbott says he is watching the number of hospitalizations and the hospitalization rate — the proportion of infected Texans who require hospitalization.

Daily hospitalizations from coronavirus

The average number of hospitalizations reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by deemphasizing daily swings.

Daily hospitalizations from coronavirus
Daily hospitalizations from coronavirus (Texas Tribune)

Hospitalization rate

The hospitalization rate is calculated by dividing the number of people who are currently hospitalized by the number of active cases, which is the number of total cases minus deaths and estimated recoveries.

Estimated recoveries is a DSHS estimate of how many people require hospitalization and how long it takes most people to recover from the virus.

Hospitalization rate
Hospitalization rate (Texas Tribune)

How many people have died?

The first death linked to the coronavirus in Texas occurred March 16 in Matagorda County. As of May 16, 1,305 people who tested positive for the virus have died.

The average number of deaths reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by deemphasizing daily swings.

New deaths from coronavirus each day

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Daily hospitalizations from coronavirus
Daily hospitalizations from coronavirus (Texas Tribune)
New cases of coronavirus each day
New cases of coronavirus each day (Texas Tribune)

How has the number of cases increased each day?

On March 24, the Texas Department of State Health Services changed its reporting system to track case counts directly from counties instead of relying on official case forms, which came in later and caused the state’s official count to lag behind other tallies.

Increases in testing also led to more detected cases. Health experts say that even gradual steps to reopen businesses will increase the number of people who become sick from the virus.

Cumulative cases of coronavirus in Texas

Cumulative cases of coronavirus in Texas
Cumulative cases of coronavirus in Texas (Texas Tribune)

New cases of coronavirus each day

The average number of cases reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by deemphasizing daily swings. The number of new cases reported drops on weekends when labs are less likely to report new data to the state.

New cases of coronavirus each day
New cases of coronavirus each day (Texas Tribune)

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