Travis County reports 15 more coronavirus deaths, 297 new cases

Austin-Travis County health officials on Thursday said 15 more people in the area have died from coronavirus-related causes.

Health officials said 328 people in Travis County have now died from COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, since the start of the pandemic.

County health officials on Thursday also reported 297 new cases, bringing the total of lab-confirmed cases in the county to 23,718.

Meanwhile, the total number of estimated recoveries in the county is now at 22,255.

Local health officials on Thursday reported that 274 people are in Austin-area hospitals with COVID-19. Of those, 98 are in intensive care and 72 are on ventilators.

Hospitals in the Austin area reported 32 new admissions due to COVID-19 on Thursday, and the rolling 7-day average of new hospital admissions is 32.9.

That average, which health officials monitor closely when considering precautionary measures, is now below the city’s threshold for Stage 4 restrictions to slow down the spread of the virus. However, city and county health officials said they will not reduce restrictions to Stage 3 just yet.

Data released Thursday included a breakdown of the Travis County cases by race and ethnicity.

Of those who tested positive for the coronavirus, 52% are Hispanic, according to recent Austin data. Travis County health officials have said that concerns remain about the disproportionate effect the virus is having on the Hispanic community as well as people living in nursing homes.

Non-Hispanic whites account for about 31% of cases, 8% are Black and 3% are Asian.

In some cases, the race or ethnicity of Travis County residents with the coronavirus is listed as “unknown” or “other.”

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