According to data from Harris County Public Health, it was the fifth straight day new cases topped 1,200 countywide. Since June 8, active cases in the county have doubled from 8,964 to more than 18,000 as of June 26. Over that time, recoveries increased from about 5,700 to more than 9,700 and deaths rose from 262 to 361.
Nearly 400 more recoveries were reported June 26 as well as eight more deaths, Harris County Public Health data shows.
All eight deaths reported were from within the city of Houston as well as 879 of the new confirmed cases, according to the Houston Health Department.
As new cases continued to rise across the county, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo issued a new stay-at-home advisory June 26 and elevated the county's COVID-19 threat level from "significant" to "severe."THREAD: We report 879 new cases of #COVID19 today, bringing #Houston’s total to 18,056. Sadly, we report eight additional deaths, bringing our total to 216. (1/3)#hounews #StopTheSpread #BetterTogether #ProtectTheH #SocialDistance #MaskUpHou #MaskUp pic.twitter.com/gyZy7M2K7C
— Houston Health Dept (@HoustonHealth) June 26, 2020
Hidalgo's announcement came hours after Gov. Greg Abbott rolled back previous steps on reopening the Texas economy by limiting restaurants to 50% capacity statewide and closing all bars.
