Of the new cases, 233 were reported in the city of Houston and 192 were reported in Harris County outside of the city. There have now been 17,707 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Harris County, up nearly 1,000 cases from June 14, when 16,778 cases had been confirmed.
Meanwhile, hospitalizations of suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients continue to rise in Harris County, according to data being tracked by the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. As of June 15, 694 patients were in general-ward beds while 315 patients were in intensive care unit beds, both new highs for the county. Those numbers are up from 497 and 272, respectively, on June 8.
As hospitalizations trend upward, Gov. Greg Abbott held a press conference June 16 to assure the public that enough hospital capacity exists across the state to handle the increases. During the press conference, Abbott reiterated the importance of the public staying home when possible, wearing masks and maintaining social distancing.
Of the 1,582 operational ICU beds in Harris County, an estimated 1,413 were occupied June 15, putting the occupancy rate around 89%, roughly on par with what the rate was one week ago. Another 300 ICU beds exist in surge capacity.
Active cases in Harris County stand at 10,313 as of June 16, and a total of 7,105 recoveries have been confirmed. The death count stands at 289, putting the death rate of known cases in the county at around 1.7%.
