A total of 793 suspected and confirmed COVID-19 patients were in general ward beds as of June 17, a number that has been increasing every day since June 6 when the count was at 441. Meanwhile, the number of confirmed COVID-19 patients in the ICU has increased from 220 on June 14 to 343 on June 17, according to SETRAC. Another 39 suspected COVID-19 patients are in ICU beds, defined by SETRAC as patients who meet the criteria for COVID-19 but have not yet been tested.
SETRAC data is based on daily reports from area hospitals, and data is only as accurate as those reports, according to a disclaimer on the site
The estimated occupancy rate for ICUs across hospitals in the county rose to 92.9%, a record high since the pandemic began, with 1,508 of the 1,622 operation beds occupied. Federal mandates require hospitals to be able to increase their ICU bed capacity by 20% if necessary, according to SETRAC. However, the Texas Medical Center has an estimated 1,200 additional ICU beds in surge capacity, far exceeding the 20% requirement.
Public health officials in Harris County and the city of Houston confirmed 395 new cases of COVID-19 on June 18, bringing the total case count to 18,552. About 10,698 of those cases are considered active, while 7,549 are confirmed to have recovered.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases per day hit a new high June 18, with an average of 384 new cases confirmed per day over the past week. After seven deaths were confirmed June 18, the death toll for COVID-19 in Harris County stands at 305.
