Galveston County COVID-19 positivity rate projected to increase during week of Sept. 6

Galveston County has reported an additional 170 coronavirus cases since Sept. 8, bringing the total case count to 11,177 as of Sept. 10.

About one in five of the total cases are currently active, and 88 people are currently hospitalized with COVID-19, according to Galveston County Health District data. The total number of cases has increased about 5% since the beginning of the month; there were 10,613 positive cases in the county at the start of September.

No new COVID-19 deaths have been reported since Sept. 8. Of the 31 deaths reported Sept. 8, only one took place within the last month; death dates range from mid-April to mid-August.

The coronavirus positivity rate from Aug. 30-Sept. 5 was 5%, up from 4% the week prior. The health district’s Sept. 10 report includes a testing increase of 1,065, which puts the positivity rate at 7%, according to a news release.

Galveston and League City have more than 2,200 total COVID-19 cases as of Sept. 8. The case count in Texas City is nearing 1,800, and Friendswood has a total of 715 confirmed cases.

The county also began displaying antibody test results on the database in mid-June. About 4,500 people have received the testing thus far, with all but 364 of those people testing negative.

Outbreaks at six nursing homes in Friendswood, League City and Texas City have infected a collective 257 residents, per health department data, as well as an additional 200 employees. No new resident cases have been reported since Aug. 13. Of the 165 deaths, 52—about 32%—are related to long-term care facilities in the county, per the news release.