COVID-19 Blog

A blog about everything related to COVID-19

COVID-19 in Texas

Covid-19Texas

A detailed look at the spread of the Corona Virus in Texas

Blog Post Date: July 31st, 2020

Blog Post Last Update: Aug 31st, 2020

Texas is a state in the South Central Region of the United States. It is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population.

Capital is Austin. Population is 29 million. Governor is Greg Abbott (Republican)

Second most by Population
Second most by Population

Relevant links to COVID Data Analytics site

Case and Death Patterns by State

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvupattern

Red States v/s Blue States

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvcow/cvwred_blue

States, counties setting cases and deaths records each day

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvuRecordCasesStates

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvuRecordDeathsStates

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvuRecordCasesCounties

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvuRecordDeathsCounties

Cases and deaths records for each state

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvuAllCasesStates

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvuAllDeathsStates

Details of Cases and deaths by state / county

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvucounty

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvuSelectCounty

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvuSelectCountyAsTable

Texas is third in total cases

Third most by Cases
Third most by Cases

Texas is ninth in total deaths

Third most by Deaths
Third most by Deaths

Not in the Worst performing states by cases and deaths per million and death percentage

  • It is a big state which outside the big cities is not densely populated. (NY, NJ, CT, MA and other North east states suffered more beacuse of this factor)
  • It is 15th worst in cases per million
  • It is 28th worst in deaths per million
  • It is 38th worst in death percentage (1.48%)

Texas is flagged as having a Critical Threat Level by COVID ActNow website

https://covidactnow.org/us/tx/?s=790144

  • High risk factors: Daily new cases, ICU Capacity and Contact Tracing.
  • Infection rate is below 1. But this is something that needs to be monitored closely as a value above 1.0 would indicate the disease is still spreading.
  • Infection rate was above 1.0 last week and maybe the use of masks and some social distancing has started to help.
  • Masks need to be mandated and bars and restaurants and beaches must all be shutdown to get a handle on this thing.

Critical Threat Level
Critical Threat Level

How are the 254 counties doing?

https://corona-virus.dev/app/reports/cvus/cvucounty

  • Texas has 254 counties. The most in the country
  • 37 counties have a weekly case growth of 100% or more compared to last week.
  • 50 counties have a weekly case growth of 100% or more compared to two weeks ago.
  • 15 counties have a weekly case growth of 1000% or more compared to four weeks ago.

Weekly Growth
Weekly Growth

Cases and Deaths records at the state and county levels

  • Almost every other day Texas is breaking either its own cases record or its deaths record.
  • We now routinely have 10,000+ cases and 150+ deaths every day
  • We also have 15+ Texas counties breaking its cases record every day (10+ counties its deaths records)

At its peak New York had a few days where they crossed 10,000 cases a day (April 3rd, 4th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 15th, 25th). A few days after that their deaths jumped from 11 (Mar 16th) a day to 1000+ (Apr 6th, 7th, 17th, 18th) a day. Its cases peaked at 11,434 on April 15th and its deaths at 1,081 on April 7th.

Date Range Case Range Deaths Range
3/16 - 4/7 352 - 8060 11 - 1081

Texas in July
Texas in July

So, Texas has had daily cases go over the NY peak cases of 11,434 several times already. It would be scary to see the deaths in Texas apporaching the New York peak (1081)

The stunning growth in cases in the last 4 weeks through out Texas has left many parts of the state reeling. This is beginning to look a lot like Italy (Lombardi), Spain, Wuhan, New York City or even New Jersey in March / April. ICU is near capacity in most places. Horrific stories are coming out of places like Houston, Dallas, the Rio Grande Valley etc.

Here are some of the headlines coming out of Texas:

A Texas county’s only hospital forced to choose “who is sent home to die as ICU beds near capacity

https://www.wbtv.com/2020/07/24/texas-countys-only-hospital-forced-choose-who-is-sent-home-die-icu-beds-near-capacity/

Texas hospital overwhelmed by coronavirus may send patients home

https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2020/07/25/texas-hospital-coronavirus-lavandera-sot-tsr-vpx.cnn

Inside A Rio Grande Hospital With No ICU During A COVID-19 Outbreak

https://www.keranews.org/post/inside-rio-grande-hospital-no-icu-during-covid-19-outbreak

One in four COVID-19 patients admitted to ICU 'now deceased' in San Antonio

https://foxsanantonio.com/news/local/one-in-four-covid-19-patients-admitted-to-icu-now-deceased-in-san-antonio

The Texas COVID-19 Death Surge Is Here, and It’s Terrifying

https://www.thedailybeast.com/the-texas-coronavirus-death-surge-is-here-and-its-terrifying

The death toll in the Rio Grande Valley is forcing funeral directors to buy refrigerated trucks

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/28/us/coronavirus-texas-funeral-homes.html

Final Thoughts

  • If Texas re-opens schools with the Republican Governor Greg Abbott not having the guts to say no to Trump to schools re-opening, heaven help us all. 15,000+ cases daily and 400+ deaths daily will be a common occurrence in Texas (100 Benghazis daily) leading up to fall / winter and the flu season.
  • I don't want to speculate how catastrophic it would be if schools re-open and stay open and we don't have a vaccine until mid 2021.
  • I hope common sense prevails and they learn from the deadly mistake made by Israel

Israelis Fear Schools Reopened Too Soon as Covid-19 Cases Climb

https://www.wsj.com/articles/israelis-fear-schools-reopened-too-soon-as-covid-19-cases-climb-11594760001

Israel Second Wave
Israel Second Wave

School and College Reopenings

A national database that tracks coronavirus-related school closings, quarantines, cases and deaths.

Covid-19 Is Creating a Wave of Heart Disease -daily reminder that there is so much more to #COVID19 than death

New CDC guidance says COVID rates in children is steadily increasing. (not ideal for schools reopening)

LONG TERM BURDEN after COVID hospitalization — “Anybody who needed to be hospitalized or needed ICU support will suffer disability afterwards.”

This is why it is so dangerous to send kids off to school in the Republican states where Case Positivity ratio is 10-20%. Millions of Americans will now have a lifelong pre-existing condition and if the Republicans win the 2020 election through voter suppression, shutting down USPS and colluding with Russia and China and Ukraine, these Millions of Americans are looking at bankruptcy. Vote Blue, as your life depends on it!

Aug 31st

With a population of 328 million in the United States, it may require 2.13 million deaths to reach a 65 percent threshold of herd immunity, assuming the virus has a 1% fatality rate.

Let’s not try out this strategy. What if the virus has a 2% fatality rate? 4.26 million deaths is acceptable?

Aug 29th

As Per NYT, in #Texas, A&M has the most with 500 reported cases. UT follows with 483

NYT released a survey and interactive map revealing thousands of cases of Covid-19 in U.S. colleges and universities.

Aug 28th

Trump and the Republicans come up with a plan to kill 2.3 to 3 million Americans

They complained that 4 Benghazi deaths were too many. Now they are signing off on Putin paying Taliban to kill American Soldiers and the genocide of 2-3 million Americans.

Good thing that they are pro-life. Imagine if they were the pro-death party?

Texas to release COVID-19 data for children in schools and childcare facilities

But will they really? Afterall it is a Republican Governed state. You expect fraud and deception!

#Texas Christian #University has reported 444 active student cases of #COVID about two weeks after classes resumed at the Fort Worth college.

A week ago, there were 69 active cases among students and one active case among employees.

Aug 26th

Fort Worth, #Texas -- Texas Christian University's COVID-19 cases more than quadrupled in a week. Current outbreak is over 250.

Crowds of students walking toward the distant hum of house parties, not wearing masks or social distancing

Aug 25th

Texas A&M University launched its COVID-19 dashboard on Tuesday

Dashboard shows the university has had 358 positive COVID-19 tests among students, faculty and staff for the week of Aug. 16-22

Texas A&M reports more than 400 cases of COVID-19 this month

Texas colleges already seeing COVID-19 cases as classes begin

Aug 20th

What a surprise. Fraud in another Republican governed state

A spokeswoman for Texas' health department tells @HoustonChron that because of data errors, there is currently no way to know the state's true positivity rate — a key metric for state and local leaders deciding about reopening Texas schools

It is their way of saying we know that the rate is well above 10%, a dangerous level to be opening schools in, but we will anyway. Because Trump!

Aug 19th

BUSTED: GOP senator’s ad on reopening schools uses video of ‘class’ in former Soviet state — where COVID is scarce.

Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican up for re-election this year, posted an ad in a Lone Star state, halfway around the world in Estonia.

Aug 7th

Australia follows Israel's disasterous model; School reopening results in explosion of cases; 100s of schools now closing again

Dozens of teachers, students get COVID in 1st wk

7 year old dead in GA (Kids are not immune)

Even Germany closes 2 schools

Aug 6th

Schools that open in the fall will close by October

Some teachers are retiring rather than go back to school

CDC abdicates responsibility; will let kids get sick

German schools test students twice a week

Aug 5th

Sec of State Ashcroft said he didn’t know a father who “wouldn’t risk getting COVID — even risk dying” in order to send children back to school

https://twitter.com/dailyrotation/status/1291165156525965312

Trump learns nothing from 160,000 dead and wants to reopen Schools

Covid-19 may spread more easily in schools than thought, report warns.

Aug 4th

Trump administration sticks to plan to reopen schools (and infect millions?)

When Covid Subsided, Israel Reopened Its Schools. It Didn’t Go Well.

Aug 3rd

Trump criticizes Birx after she warns U.S. it is unsafe to reopen schools as coronavirus outbreaks are extraordinarily widespread

As the Coronavirus Comes to School, a Tough Choice: When to Close

Ex FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb on MLB and Schools Reopening

July 13th

Teachers are writing their wills

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