For the 1st time, Texas reports more than 10,000 new coronavirus cases in a single day
On Tuesday, Texas reported 10,028 new coronavirus cases — the first time the state has recorded more than 10,000 new cases in a single day. Texas also reported 60 new coronavirus deaths, a daily record.
Looking at data released by the Texas Department of State Health Services, The Texas Tribune has determined there are 210,585 coronavirus cases in Texas, with the death toll at 2,715. There are now 9,286 Texans hospitalized for the coronavirus, 2,753 more than a week ago.
Gov. Greg Abbott (R) has said he is taking a close look at the state's positivity rate, which is the percentage of positive cases to tests conducted. In May, Abbott said he would consider a rate over 10 percent a "warning flag," while health experts have said the goal is to keep the rate under 6 percent. On Monday, the rate was 13.5 percent.
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Businesses began reopening in Texas in May, and the number of coronavirus cases and hospitalizations began to increase steadily in June. Last week, Abbott made mask wearing mandatory everywhere except in counties with fewer than 20 cases. In an interview with CNN over the weekend, Austin Mayor Steve Adler warned that if "we don't change this trajectory, then I am within two weeks of having our hospitals overrun."
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Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
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