Eagle Pass, Texas Ranked No. 1 in the Nation Among The Places Hit Hardest by COVID-19
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2021
The New York Times Tracking the Coronavirus Project ranked the City of Eagle Pass, Texas as No. 1 in the United States among “The Places Hit Hardest” by COVID-19 on Thursday, March 25, 2021.
The New York Times ranking of the City of Eagle Pass as No. 1 among “The Places Hit Hardest” by COVID-19 is based on cumulative confirmed positive cases since the start of the outbreak until now based on the total number of the population of a metropolitan area. Eagle Pass is reported as having 10,304 confirmed COVID-19 cases with a population of 58,722, averaging a total of 175.5 confirmed cases per 1,000 population.
The top 10 places hit hardest list is rounded out with No. 2 being Yuma, Arizona with 171.6 cases per 1,000; No. 3 is Gallup, New Mexico with 169.8 cases per 1,000; No. 4 is Laredo, Texas with 155.6 cases per 1,000; No. 5 is Bismarck, North Dakota with 154.6 cases per 1,000; No. 6 is Lubbock, Texas with 152.8 cases per 1,000; No.7 is El Paso, Texas with 150.8 cases per 1,000; No. 8 is El Centro, California with 147.8 cases per 1,000; No. 9 is Rexburg, Idaho with 147.4 cases per 1,000; and No. 10 is Hanford-Corcoran, California with 146.3 cases per 1,000.
During the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City of Eagle Pass and Maverick County had a total of 338 fatalities from COVID-19 as of March 25, 2021 according to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), official COVID-19 tracker in Texas. The Maverick County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) reported only 234 fatalities from COVID-19 on March 25, 2021, 104 less fatalities than reported by DSHS.
The joint City of Eagle Pass and Maverick County EOC reported on March 25, 2021 a total of 23 new confirmed positive COVID-19 cases, bringing the cumulative total to 10,327 confirmed cases out of a total of 53,035 COVID-19 tests submitted, 42,587 negative results, 9,223 recovered people, 870 active confirmed cases, and an overall positivity rate of 19.6%. During the past week of March 12-19, 2021, the positivity rate was 5.7%, showing a decrease in reported confirmed cases of infection.
The detailed and thorough New York Times Tracking the Coronavirus Project finding of Eagle Pass, Texas being No. 1 in the United States among “the places hardest hit” by COVID-19 reflects the severity and extremely high community spread of the coronavirus in Eagle Pass and Maverick County.
Maverick County public health officials recommend that all Eagle Pass and Maverick County residents not let their guard down despite recent decline in the number of confirmed cases, fatalities, and the positivity rate.
Maverick County residents are encouraged to continue following the CDC Guidelines of wearing face masks, wash hands with soap regularly, use hand sanitizer, practice social distancing (6 feet), avoid gatherings of 10 or more people, limit travel to essential matters, and stay home to avoid becoming infected with the deadly coronavirus.
