Travis County Coronavirus Cases Reach 33,960 With 191 New Cases

AUSTIN, TX — Cases of the coronavirus in Travis County reached 33,960 since the pandemic swept across the region after 191 more residents tested positive for the virus on Thursday. The death toll also rose after three more people in the region succumbed to the illness, bringing the cumulative fatalities total to 465.

The data are found on a dashboard maintained by Austin Public Health. The illness spikes are not unique to the county, but rising across the state. The number of active cases in the county stands at 1,585, with 163 hospitalized — 57 being treated in intensive care units and 28 placed on ventilators, according to the data. On Thursday alone, there were 33 new hospital admissions as illustrated on the statistical dashboard.

The number of active cases is the highest since the beginning of August, Austin Public Health records indicate. One key barometer, the seven-day rolling average, also is on an upward trend — with the current level of 27.7 the highest since mid-August. Still, it's a far cry from the record seven-day average of 75.1 reported on July 8.

The current trends have raised some measure of alarm among health officials. "New cases steadily increasing," Texas Department of State Health Services officials wrote in an update on Twitter. "Hospitalizations and fatalities likely to rise higher. Texas is in a serious fight with #COVID19."

Austin Public Health officials one week ago pointed to Halloween parties as a probable culprit for the rising illness rates. On Nov. 5, health district officials reported another 1,030 new cases of coronavirus — the highest number since mid-August. Buttressing the theory centered on Halloween parties is the illness uptick among a younger set between the ages of 20 to 39, health officials posited at the time.

Screenshot of the Austin Public Health dashboard.

Hispanics continue to be the hardest hit by the virus. According to the dashboard, Hispanics represent 48 percent of all cases — despite representing just under 34 percent of the county's population, according to census figures. Women have been hit harder than men, the former representing 51 percent of cases compared to 49 percent for the latter, the data show.