CORONAVIRUS UPDATES: Galveston County reports nearly 200 new cases in 4 days

Galveston County has reported an additional 198 coronavirus cases since June 11, with the case count totaling 1,312 as of June 15.

The county has had 557 recoveries and 40 deaths since mid-March. No new deaths have been reported since June 11. The county passed the 1,000-case mark last week.

The case count total includes outbreaks at five nursing homes in League City and Texas City, which account for roughly a third of the total cases in each city. Staff at local nursing homes, post-acute care centers and senior living communities recently said although they have adapted to manage the spread of the coronavirus, the pandemic’s effect on the elderly has been far reaching.

Here is other coronavirus-related news for Bay Area residents to know for the week of June 15.

2 p.m. June 15: The public application period for the Harris County COVID-19 Relief Fund will open June 23-24. As previously reported by Community Impact Newspaper, the $30 million fund administered by the Greater Houston Community Foundation aims to financially assist vulnerable individuals and families with essential needs who do not otherwise qualify for other pandemic-related assistance. For more coverage, click here.

11:30 a.m. June 15: The Texas Education Agency announced plans to distribute personal protective equipment to help school districts reopen for the 2020-21 school year. The agency has so far ordered 50 million disposable face masks, 10 million gloves, 40,000 infrared and noncontact thermometers, and 500,000 gallons of hand sanitizer for distribution across Texas public school districts. For more coverage, click here.

11:45 p.m. June 14: COVID-19 hospitalizations reached a new high point in Harris County on June 13 at 896 people. The number is up from 829 on June 12 and 662 on the previous Saturday, June 6, according to data being tracked by the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. For more coverage, click here.

7 a.m. June 12: A Clear Creek ISD committee dedicated to safely reopening the district, members of which include medical professionals, county and local authorities, faith leaders, parents and district staff, presented their recommendations to the district’s board of trustees at a June 8 workshop. The committee will host a public input meeting June 16 at 6:30 p.m. in the community room at the CCISD Challenger Columbia Stadium. For more coverage, click here.