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TomCADem

(17,382 posts)
Fri May 1, 2020, 04:10 PM May 2020

Coronavirus in Texas: State sees highest single-day death toll from COVID-19

Source: Texas Tribune

Texas recorded 50 deaths from the new coronavirus Thursday, the highest one-day total since the pandemic began. The state also reported 1,033 new cases Thursday — the third-highest increase since the state began reporting coronavirus case counts. The highest daily total was 1,441 new cases April 10.

The number of known cases has reached 28,087, and two new counties reported their first cases Thursday; over 80% of the state’s 254 counties have reported at least one case. Harris County has reported the most cases, 6,161, followed by Dallas County, which has reported 3,352 cases. See maps of the latest case numbers for each county and case rates per 1,000 residents.

Statewide, the virus has caused 782 deaths. Harris County reported six additional deaths Thursday, bringing its total to 109, more than any other county.

As of Thursday, 1,686 patients are known to be hospitalized in Texas, a decrease of 16 patients from Wednesday. At least 330,300 tests have been conducted.

Read more: https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/30/coronavirus-updates-texas/

26 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
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Coronavirus in Texas: State sees highest single-day death toll from COVID-19 (Original Post) TomCADem May 2020 OP
782 is much better the majority of states jimfields33 May 2020 #1
Texas Is Not Densely Populated, But This Will Lull Them ... TomCADem May 2020 #5
All kinds of excuses out there for Low virus deaths. jimfields33 May 2020 #6
So, You Are Saying That New York Has More Deaths Than Texas... TomCADem May 2020 #7
Yes. At the beginning of March New York Mayor was telling people to go out. jimfields33 May 2020 #10
GOP TEXAS LT. GOVERNOR CRITICIZES STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS, SAYS 'WE HAVEN'T HAD THIS MASSIVE OUTBREAK' TomCADem May 2020 #12
Hmmmm ... Igel May 2020 #16
You're trying way too hard. LanternWaste May 2020 #13
Temperature. Nt PassingFair May 2020 #22
Two sparesly counties in the panhandle have the highest "rates" LeftInTX May 2020 #9
Here In Illinois... ProfessorGAC May 2020 #11
And the key word is "sparesly." Igel May 2020 #17
Yep and look at Gallup,New Mexico....only 22K live in the entire City Bengus81 May 2020 #24
Houston,DfW and San Antonio/Austin areas are huge JCMach1 May 2020 #21
They're not "completely" open, (25% capacity), but I don't feel comfortable with it. LeftInTX May 2020 #25
25% is a meaningless stat JCMach1 May 2020 #26
The state is much bigger than numbers recorded and they are not doing well or early, isolating. LizBeth May 2020 #2
As of May 1 Igel May 2020 #18
Saying only 7% over the norm? That is pretty accurate. Big state, not done a lot to protect LizBeth May 2020 #23
The numbers are up in DC, Loisianna, TX, BigmanPigman May 2020 #3
Man, that's one powerful hoax! Aristus May 2020 #4
... In_The_Wind May 2020 #8
El Paso county officials say the spike here is related to Easter. Scruffy1 May 2020 #14
I'm surprised San Antonio didn't have a surge from Easter LeftInTX May 2020 #20
Texas is living Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick's dream. Paladin May 2020 #15
They're really sticking it to us libs, aren't they? Aristus May 2020 #19

TomCADem

(17,382 posts)
5. Texas Is Not Densely Populated, But This Will Lull Them ...
Fri May 1, 2020, 04:22 PM
May 2020

...into thinking that social distancing is not required. New York and New Jersey have some of the densest population centers, so of course they are susceptible, but just because a State is not densely populated does not mean it is immune, particularly if Texas goes forward with relaxing social distancing. For example, once you lift the ban on large sporting events, it will be a brand new ball game in fall.

jimfields33

(15,703 posts)
6. All kinds of excuses out there for Low virus deaths.
Fri May 1, 2020, 04:51 PM
May 2020

I think it’s because states were more careful then others.

TomCADem

(17,382 posts)
7. So, You Are Saying That New York Has More Deaths Than Texas...
Fri May 1, 2020, 05:01 PM
May 2020

...because Texas is more careful than New York? Is that what your gut is telling you?

TomCADem

(17,382 posts)
12. GOP TEXAS LT. GOVERNOR CRITICIZES STAY-AT-HOME ORDERS, SAYS 'WE HAVEN'T HAD THIS MASSIVE OUTBREAK'
Fri May 1, 2020, 07:24 PM
May 2020

Interesting. As late as April, it would appear that Texas was casting doubt on the need for a stay at home order even as deaths began to mount. I guess if "careful" means deny the need for social distancing...

https://www.newsweek.com/gop-texas-lt-governor-criticizes-stay-home-orders-says-we-havent-had-this-massive-outbreak-1500753

Texas' Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick suggested that the U.S. has not had a "massive outbreak" of the coronavirus as was projected, despite the country having the highest number of confirmed infections and deaths in the world.

Patrick has already faced significant criticism for suggesting that elderly people are willing to put their lives at risk for the sake of the economy, criticizing stringent lockdown measures. The Texas official again urged reopening the economy rapidly during a Tuesday morning interview with Fox News.

"We've all gone to the grocery store ... You have or somebody in your household has, and we haven't seen this huge outbreak overwhelming our hospitals. We haven't seen this huge outbreak in Texas of deaths, obviously New York and New Jersey are different," the lieutenant governor said.

"But if we can all go to the grocery, which we've all been doing in this country, all of us have been doing that or living with someone who did and we have had this massive outbreak that we were all told we're gonna have," Patrick added. "Well then why can't we go to any store?" he asked.

Igel

(35,275 posts)
16. Hmmmm ...
Sat May 2, 2020, 09:53 AM
May 2020

Here's more information.

By March 24 the large urban areas--most of the state's population--had stay-at-home orders. Schools had been closed. Very similar to places like NY--except that by the time of their lockdown they'd had hundreds of deaths. Texas, bigger population, had a handful.

We haven't had the massive outbreak some had said was about to strike. We were to be another NY by the end of March. 50 dead in one day by the end of April is perhaps just a bit shy of NY's record--but, I have to admit, it's nip and tuck there, so close.

The areas with the greatest death toll are precisely the areas first locked down. And by the time the governor issued a lock down, it was sort of a big national thing--because it seemed like we weren't locked down at all (unless you were paying attention)--but it affected a small portion of people. And those it affected it barely affected.

50% more population, 20% of the deaths yesterday.

You want to make it about who's in charge and it becomes a very uncomfortable discussion. Those who say how great Newsom did and Cuomo did just as well have a shortfall of facts they can compare. Even California, at 25% more people than TX but still with 2 1/2 the number of dead makes for a problem--if it's all about who's governor. It's one reason we get these predictions and apparent gloating--yes, NY got it good and hard, but just you wait, NY isn't exceptional in a bad way and it'll be seen that we're better than you. Shit happens.

"But Texas has to be covering up all the deaths." Yes, millions of people can die and Texans are too stupid to notice the corpses cluttering the parks and freeways--the level of brain activity is no less than usual, I guess. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nvss/vsrr/covid19/index.htm is weird, because the numbers are counter expectations. You look at NY, NJ, MA, MI, even MD--fairly blue states--and they're the ones with deaths of all causes being above average, sometimes exceeding the COVID deaths. TX is at 93% of the expected deaths.

I'd say it's not about who's governor, not mostly. Economics, interconnectedness, lifestyle and cultural choices or conditions all make a difference. It's also not over until it's over--CA and Japan were great examples, but then something happened somewhere. Things change. Want final figures, be patient--we'll get there when things are final. But many people have one lens they must view everything through, now. When your only lens is a monocle for nearsightedness, every eye problem is myopia. Far sightedness, astigmatism, diplopia, keratoconus, retinitis, cloudy cornea ... it's gotta all just be nearsightedness.

 

LanternWaste

(37,748 posts)
13. You're trying way too hard.
Fri May 1, 2020, 09:09 PM
May 2020

Though I get the tactic, it's simply not working for you... try another one.

LeftInTX

(25,142 posts)
9. Two sparesly counties in the panhandle have the highest "rates"
Fri May 1, 2020, 05:24 PM
May 2020

Moore County has a population of 21,000. Yesterday: Moore County officials confirm 32 new COVID-19 cases, 5 recoveries

Yesterday, Bexar County (pop 2.8 mil) had only 20 new cases.

The county judge in adjoining Donley County (pop 3,319) is also an MD. He noticed a bunch of spring breakers stopping in the area and became suspicious, so he started testing everyone.

https://www.texastribune.org/2020/04/20/donley-county-really-hardest-hit-texas-coronavirus/

ProfessorGAC

(64,867 posts)
11. Here In Illinois...
Fri May 1, 2020, 07:21 PM
May 2020

...2 downstate counties are "hotspots" due to # of cases per thousand.
Our county has the second highest death #, and the 4th most infections, but we have nearly 700,000 people.
Those two small counties have 6 & 8 deaths. 14 out of a combined population of 31,000, or 1/22nd of our county.
22*14=308. Our county has 120 something deaths!
These downstate counties are middle of nowhere, yet it's hammering them

Igel

(35,275 posts)
17. And the key word is "sparesly."
Sat May 2, 2020, 10:18 AM
May 2020

Low populations allow for funny stats. One small network can be infected and suddenly it looks horrible, but that's because there's a small population.

Growth curves are based on random events. Sometimes random gives you less growth, sometimes more. The characterization of exponential growth curves in their early stages is usually "stochastic" because there the randomness is noticeable. When your curve depends on 10 events random chance gives bigger effects than if you have 10,000 events. But we assume that random must mean "evenly distributed", when random means "distributed by chance."

Even in situations where individual results are deterministic, there are so many events or individual results that it all sort of needs stochastic modeling.

Even worse is that the data itself is wobbly: Since caseload is as much a function of testing as it is a function of infection, it might also just be that they got a bunch of tests to give. Harris County's ramping up testing and as it tests more people, surprise, it finds more cases. It's great for meaningless headlines. But people shouldn't take the numbers seriously because they're uninterpretable given just what's in the stories.

Again, the % positive/all tests is a reasonable thing to look at. The # of positives isn't such a big deal--it's data that's hard to use without more information. Hospitalizations tend to be a bit off, but at this point fairly predictably off so they're not too unreliable. Deaths are also a good indicator, esp. if you can compare them with expected deaths all things being equal.

Bengus81

(6,928 posts)
24. Yep and look at Gallup,New Mexico....only 22K live in the entire City
Sat May 2, 2020, 03:58 PM
May 2020

And it's now basically shut down with roads blockaded. That BS theory that spares areas would remain CV free or few cases was proven as wrong as the early nonsense about young people not contracting the virus.

JCMach1

(27,553 posts)
21. Houston,DfW and San Antonio/Austin areas are huge
Sat May 2, 2020, 10:45 AM
May 2020

Not super dense, but huge metro areas and they just completely opened,except for a few businesses like tattoo and massage

LeftInTX

(25,142 posts)
25. They're not "completely" open, (25% capacity), but I don't feel comfortable with it.
Sat May 2, 2020, 05:02 PM
May 2020

I could see opening non-essential retail, but without any dressing rooms open and with a mandate that all mall retail open only to outside entrance/exits. But I saw people walking inside a mall and a mall vendor in a booth. It looked too crowded. I think a food court may be open. Forget that. It's a recipe for disaster.

I also saw some newly open restaurants not enforcing safe distance.


I think I will just stay home.

JCMach1

(27,553 posts)
26. 25% is a meaningless stat
Sat May 2, 2020, 07:44 PM
May 2020

If capacity is 300 and normal night is 70, you are at 100%. That % is political cya.

The only hope is that individual businesses will pick up the slack. Individual people certainly haven't been.

LizBeth

(9,952 posts)
2. The state is much bigger than numbers recorded and they are not doing well or early, isolating.
Fri May 1, 2020, 04:16 PM
May 2020

I do not know how much I believe Texas.

Igel

(35,275 posts)
18. As of May 1
Sat May 2, 2020, 10:19 AM
May 2020

the CDC's preliminary numbers said that Texas deaths from all causes were 93% of what they would have expected if 2020 had gone without COVID.

There you go.

LizBeth

(9,952 posts)
23. Saying only 7% over the norm? That is pretty accurate. Big state, not done a lot to protect
Sat May 2, 2020, 02:35 PM
May 2020

and such low numbers. Interesting. Now, spread out and density matters.

Scruffy1

(3,252 posts)
14. El Paso county officials say the spike here is related to Easter.
Sat May 2, 2020, 09:22 AM
May 2020

The Catholic churches are staying closed and we are at about 900 reported cases or about .001 of the population in reported cases. The local authorities have done an excellent job of handling this I think. Of course El Paso is the most Democratic city in Texas and a long ways from any other large cities.
https://www.elpasotimes.com/story/news/2020/04/28/coronavirus-el-paso-update-covid-19-confirmed-cases-prevention/3038439001/

LeftInTX

(25,142 posts)
20. I'm surprised San Antonio didn't have a surge from Easter
Sat May 2, 2020, 10:34 AM
May 2020

We did get a spike because they are in the process of testing everyone at the county jail. The spike was due to asymptomatic cases. The testing at the jail is going slow because there are not enough test kits.

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