This is the highest day-over-day increase in cases the county has reported since the beginning of the pandemic. The previous high of 248 was June 26.
“The increasing numbers of cases is due to the increase in disease transmission that has occurred with the increase in public interactions throughout our region,” FBCHHS stated in a July 14 email. “During May and June, as our community returned to pre-pandemic activities and made close contact with co-workers, family and friends, the virus had more opportunity to spread from person to person.”
The new cases bring the total coronavirus case count countywide to 5,689. The state reports a total of 132,522 COVID-19 tests, both public and private, have been administered in the county since the beginning of the pandemic, which indicates a positivity rate of 4.3%.
Two new deaths were reported in the county, per the July 17 data available. This is the fourth day in a row that the county has added two new deaths.
FBCHHS is also reporting 79 additional recoveries after none were reported July 16.
Of Fort Bend County's confirmed cases, 1,994 are known to have recovered from the virus, and 71 have died from it, leaving 3,624 assumed active cases, according to FBCHHS data. There are 240 total patients with confirmed or suspected cases of the coronavirus in Fort Bend County hospitals, according to data available at 4:50 p.m. July 17 from the Southeast Texas Regional Advisory Council. This is a day-over-day decrease of 31.
The number of intensive care unit patients with a suspected or confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Fort Bend County hospitals decreased day over day by two to 71, per SETRAC. However, these COVID-19 patients account for 66.4% of all ICU patients in Fort Bend County hospitals.
With a total of 107 ICU patients, Fort Bend County hospitals’ ICU beds are 87.7% occupied based on an estimated 122 operational beds, per SERTAC.
Coronavirus in Sugar Land and Missouri City
Missouri City experienced a day-over-day increase of 29 confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing its total to 732 cases, per July 17 data. There are now 9.7 cases per 1,000 people in Missouri City.In Sugar Land, the number of cases increased by 21 day over day for a total of 599. The new cases increased the number of cases per 1,000 people to 5.06 in the municipality. Yesterday, the per capita case number was 4.88 in Sugar Land.
At 21 new cases, ZIP code 77479 experienced the highest day-over-day increase in cases for the second day in a row out of five Sugar Land and Missouri City ZIP codes. However, ZIP code 77459 was close behind, with a day-over-day increase of 20 cases.
