Harris County coronavirus count: Hospitalizations, new cases remain flat as deaths per day fall

Another 769 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in Harris County over the Oct. 17-18 weekend, including 552 new cases in the city of Houston and 244 new cases in Harris County outside of the city.

The number of new cases confirmed in Harris County over the week of Oct. 11-17 came in at 3,339, roughly the same total as the previous week when 3,328 cases were confirmed.

The number of COVID-19 patients in Harris County hospitals increased slightly over the past week, according to data from the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. A total of 350 patients were in general wards as of Oct. 18, compared to 340 patients on Oct. 11. In intensive care units, the patient count was at 165 on Oct. 18 compared to 154 on Oct. 11.

ICU across Texas Medical Center hospitals were about 91% filled as of Oct. 15, according to TMC data, with about 12% of those beds occupied with COVID-19 patients.

A total of 12 deaths caused by the coronavirus were confirmed in Harris County over the weekend, with 11 of those deaths confirmed in the city of Houston.

The seven-day rolling average for deaths confirmed in Harris County has dropped from about 14 per day on Oct. 11 to just under 10 per day on Oct. 18, according to an analysis of data from the Harris County Public Health Department. The average previously hit a peak of 24 deaths per day on Sept. 20.

The total case count in Harris County now stands at 154,367, with 22,248 active cases, 129,981 recovered cases and 2,131 deaths. The 14-day average for testing positivity rate was at 6.1% as of the most recent data Oct. 10.