For the week ending Saturday, May 9, a total of 1,545 cases were confirmed in the Greater Houston area. The weekly total is down slightly from the previous week, when 1,659 new cases were confirmed.
The rate of new cases slowed in Galveston and Montgomery counties over the past week. Montgomery County confirmed 65 new cases between May 3-9, as compared to 128, 129 and 141 cases over each the previous three weeks. Galveston County confirmed 51 new cases between May 3-9, as compared to 107, 84 and 83 new cases over each the previous three weeks.
The rate of new cases stayed flat in Harris County, which confirmed 1,095 cases between May 3-9, as compared to 1,080 in the previous week. About one-third of general hospital beds were occupied in Harris County as of May 8, according to the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. Including surge capacity, about 70% of intensive care unit beds in Harris County were occupied as May 8, up from a 67% ICU occupancy rate on May 1.
Active coronavirus cases across the five most populous Houston-area counties—Harris, Fort Bend, Brazoria, Montgomery and Galveston—stands at 6,804 cases. A total of 753 suspected and confirmed cases were in hospital beds in those counties as of May 8, according to SETRAC. The total number of coronavirus deaths across those counties stands at 264.
