50% of Texans are fully vaccinated against COVID-19, but rate of shots administered has slowed
Vaccine doses reported
decreased by 4,318 doses compared with the 30-day average a month ago. An average 72,883 vaccine doses were reported each day in the last month and 50% of Texans are fully vaccinated.
Hospitalizations
decreased by 1,315 patients compared with a week ago. As of Sept. 20, 11,658 Texans are hospitalized for the coronavirus.
Average new cases
decreased by 6,007 cases compared with the seven-day average a week ago. On Sept. 21, 10,534 new confirmed cases and 2,622 new probable cases were reported.
Average new deaths
stayed the same compared with the seven-day average a week ago. On Sept. 21, 346 new deaths were reported.
Editor’s note: The Texas Tribune updated the population data in this story to use counts from the 2020 U.S. census. This changed several numbers on the page, including the percentage of Texans who are vaccinated.
The Texas Tribune is using daily data from the Texas Department of State Health Services to track coronavirus vaccinations, cases, hospitalizations and deaths. The state data comes from vaccine providers, city and county health departments, hospitals and laboratories. It may not represent all cases of the disease given limited testing.
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What you should know:
- The highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading rampantly in Texas. Gov. Greg Abbott is resisting statewide restrictions on businesses and has fought to ban local leaders from implementing mask and vaccine mandates.
- Ban on mask mandates: Abbott is locked in several pitched legal battles with cities, counties and school districts over their bids to require masks in public schools. The ban on school mask mandates has drawn a federal investigation for possibly violating the rights of students with disabilities. At Texas A&M, students and faculty have rallied for more safety precautions after a student died from COVID-19.
- Vaccines: Nearly 2 million people in Texas are overdue for their second dose of the vaccine. Doctors are also urging pregnant people to get vaccinated as they grapple with unprecedented numbers of pregnant patients with COVID-19. Meanwhile, The Washington Post reports that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine is safe for children as young as 5.
- Impact on schools: About a month into the school year, the number of reported coronavirus cases among public school students is approaching the total from the entire 2020-21 school year. But state data on school cases is incomplete and likely an undercount.
- Hospitals: After a rapid surge over the summer, COVID-19 hospitalizations have leveled off just below the pandemic’s winter peak.
How many Texans have been vaccinated?
As of Sept. 20, 17.1 million people have received at least one dose, which is 58.6% of Texas’ population, and 14.6 million people, or 50%, are fully vaccinated. A total of 30.5 million doses have been administered. The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines require two doses, and the Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires one dose.
Texas received its first shipments of the COVID-19 vaccine on Dec. 14. The vaccines are available to everyone age 12 and older in Texas, regardless of occupation or health status.
COVID-19 vaccine doses reported each day
The state has administered 30.5 million doses as of Sept. 20. The number of doses reported each day includes doses administered on previous days.2021MarchMayJulySept.100,000200,000300,000400,00030-day averageWinter storm delayedvaccinationsSept. 2038,516 doses reported
- Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
Health experts emphasize vaccinating as many people as possible to curb the virus’ spread. According to the Census Bureau’s 2019 Vintage population estimates, 83% of Texans are age 12 and older and eligible for a vaccine. The CDC recommends people previously infected get vaccinated because scientists aren’t sure how long immunity lasts for them and vaccination further boosts protection against COVID-19.
Percentage of Texans who are fully vaccinated
As of Sept. 20, about 50% of Texas’ 29.1 million people have been fully vaccinated. According to the Census Bureau’s 2019 Vintage population estimates, 83% of Texans are age 12 and older and thus eligible for a vaccine.Editor’s note: The Texas Tribune updated the population data in this story to use counts from the 2020 U.S. census. This changed the percentage of Texans who are vaccinated.Feb.AprilJuneAug.Oct.Dec.20%40%60%80%100%83% of Texans are eligible for a vaccine50% of Texans fully vaccinatedSept. 20
- Sources: Vaccination data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, statewide population from the 2020 U.S. census, population by age from Census Vintage 2019 estimates
Texas’s vaccination effort has faced geographic and demographic challenges compared to other states. A higher-than-average number of people are too young to get the vaccine and roughly 1 in 10 people live in rural counties, where health care is harder to access.
In whiter, more rural areas, where the fully vaccinated rate has consistently lagged the statewide rate, vaccine hesitancy is often connected to mistrust in the government. For Hispanic and Black Texans, it commonly stems from a mistrust in the health care system.
State health officials initially rolled out vaccine hubs to help administer shots. But in May, the state shifted the responsibility to doctors, pharmacies, public health offices and other smaller providers who have closer relationships with the community.Percentage fully vaccinated by countyThe percentage of residents fully vaccinated by county shows which areas have higher rates of immunization compared to the statewide rate.Editor’s note: The Texas Tribune updated the population data in this story to use counts from the 2020 U.S. census. This changed the rates of residents who are vaccinated by county.Fort WorthCorpus ChristiAustinAmarilloEl PasoLaredoSan AntonioDallasHoustonPercentage of residents fully vaccinated15.1%Statewide:50%89.1%89.1%
- Note: Doses administered at military bases, federal prisons and Veterans Affairs Hospitals are not included.
- Sources: Vaccination data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, population data from the 2020 U.S. census
Who is getting vaccinated?
The first groups eligible for vaccines were long-term care facility residents and staff, Texans age 65 and older, front-line health care workers and people age 16 and older with qualifying health conditions. The virus has mostly killed people 60 years and older, prompting urgency in efforts to vaccinate older Texans.Percentage of Texans fully vaccinated by age groupThe percentage of residents vaccinated by age shows which age groups have been vaccinated at higher rates. Among the first groups eligible for vaccines in late December 2020 were Texans age 65 and older. Texas’ population skews younger — about 17% are under 12.
829,857 Texans are 80 years or older
Jan.July50%100%72.4%Sept. 20
7.9 million Texans are 50 to 79 years old
Jan.July50%100%Ages 50+ eligible for vaccine March 1574.2%
13.7 million Texans are 16 to 49 years old
Jan.July50%100%Eligible March 2954%
1.7 million Texans are 12 to 15 years old
Jan.July50%100%Eligible May 1242%
- Note: Some dates are not shown because of discrepancies in the data on those days. As of Sept. 20, 0.01% of fully vaccinated residents do not have a known age.
- Sources: Vaccination data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, population data from Census Vintage 2019 estimates
The distribution of the vaccine is unequal, according to a Texas Tribune analysis. Among people who have received at least one shot, the percentage of white recipients is in line with their proportion of the state’s population, while Hispanic and Black residents are being vaccinated at lower rates. In Texas’ most populous counties — Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar and Travis — neighborhoods with the highest proportions of Hispanic and Black residents are some of the least vaccinated areas.
Advocates say that language barriers and lack of access to health care providers and transportation have contributed to these trends. Lower income individuals face challenges trying to book a vaccine appointment through a process that favors people who have easy access to the internet and transportation.
The Hispanic and Black populations in Texas are younger compared with the state’s white residents, which adds to the disparities. Around 20% of the Hispanic population is under 12, and none of the vaccines are approved for children below 12. A majority of Texans age 80 and older are white.Percentage of Texans fully vaccinated by race and ethnicityThis chart shows the percentage of Texans who have been vaccinated by race and ethnicity. The state is currently administering shots to people 12 and older.
12 million Texans are white, and 10.4 million of them are 12 and older
Feb.AprilJuneAug.50%100%42.8%Sept. 20
11.5 million Texans are Hispanic, and 9.1 million of them are 12 and older
Feb.AprilJuneAug.50%100%40.9%
3.5 million Texans are Black, and 2.9 million of them are 12 and older
Feb.AprilJuneAug.50%100%32.4%
1.5 million Texans are Asian, and 1.2 million of them are 12 and older
Feb.AprilJuneAug.50%100%60.1%
- Note: As of Sept. 20, DSHS reported 12.4% of fully vaccinated residents as “Other” for their race or ethnicity and 6.3% as “Unknown.”
- Sources: Vaccination data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, population data from Census Vintage 2019 estimates
Where are most of the COVID-19 cases in Texas?
As of Sept. 21, the state has reported around 3.9 million cases, with 3.3 million confirmed cases reported in 254 counties and 644,264 probable cases reported in 230 counties since the pandemic began. Confirmed cases are detected by molecular tests, such as PCR tests, which are taken with a nasal swab and are highly accurate according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Probable cases are detected through rapid-result antigen tests, which are faster and less accurate.
These totals may differ from what county and city health departments report. The Tribune is measuring both the number of cases in each county and the rate of cases per 1,000 residents in the last two weeks.New confirmed and probable cases reported in the last two weeksThe number of cases reported in the last two weeks shows where outbreaks are occurring. Because some counties aren’t reporting probable cases, not all counties are comparable to one another.Editor’s note: The Texas Tribune updated the population data in this story to use counts from the 2020 U.S. census. This changed the rates for new cases and deaths by county.Fort WorthCorpus ChristiAustinAmarilloEl PasoLaredoSan AntonioDallasHouston021In the last two weeks:Confirmed and probable cases per 1,000 residentsNo reported casesSources: Case data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, population data from the 2020 U.S. census
Note: Case counts include confirmed and probable cases. Backlogged cases, which were reported two or more weeks after they occurred, are added to the number of total cases in some counties. DSHS has reported 237,855 backlogged cases since Aug. 17, 2020. The 14-day percentage change for counties with zero average daily cases two weeks ago is shown as “–“. Counties may report a reduction in new cases over 14 days as data is cleaned and verified.*A total of 24 counties have not reported any probable cases.
County | Avg. daily cases | 14-day trend | New cases last 14 days | Total cases | Total deaths | Deaths per 1,000 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Harris | 2,010 |
+0% | 28,137 | 540,055 | 7,935 | 1.7 |
Dallas | 1,304 |
+35% | 18,258 | 375,608 | 4,699 | 1.8 |
Tarrant | 1,948 |
+75% | 27,273 | 336,324 | 3,618 | 1.7 |
Bexar | 1,042 |
-22% | 14,587 | 302,964 | 4,519 | 2.2 |
El Paso | 80 |
-9% | 1,124 | 144,015 | 2,810 | 3.2 |
Travis | 474 |
-4% | 6,632 | 112,620 | 1,274 | 1 |
Collin | 464 |
-24% | 6,495 | 121,267 | 979 | 0.9 |
Fort Bend | 427 |
+22% | 5,983 | 91,754 | 840 | 1 |
Denton | 458 |
+39% | 6,416 | 96,986 | 886 | 1 |
Hidalgo | 187 |
-19% | 2,617 | 110,342 | 2,916 | 3.3 |
Statewide | 16,797 | 235,151 | 3,938,888 | 61,178 | 2.1 |
How many people are in the hospital?
On Sept. 20, there were at least 11,658 hospitalized patients in Texas with confirmed coronavirus infections. This data does not account for people who are hospitalized but have not gotten a positive test.
Total current hospitalizations
The state says roughly 2% to 6% of Texas hospitals do not report hospitalizations data each day. The average number of hospitalizations reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by de-emphasizing daily swings.
- 9% of hospitals or more reported incomplete data
MayJulySept.Nov.2021MarchMayJulySept.5,00010,00015,000Masks requiredstatewideSome capacity restrictions endMasks nolonger required7-day averageSept. 2011,658 in hospitals
- Note: From July 23 to July 28, 2020, between 9% and 18% of hospitals reported incomplete hospitalization numbers due to changes in reporting to meet federal requirements.
- Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
On Sept. 20, the state reported 8,228 available staffed hospital beds, including 357 available staffed adult ICU beds statewide. COVID-19 patients currently occupy 17.9% of total hospital beds.
Hospitalized COVID-19 patients by region
The percentage of hospital beds being used by COVID-19 patients in each trauma service region shows how the virus is impacting hospitals.Fort WorthCorpus ChristiAustinAmarilloEl PasoLaredoSan AntonioDallasHoustonPercentage of hospital beds occupiedby COVID-19 patients0%15%30%+
- Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
Trauma Service Area | Population | COVID-19 patients Total (Adult ICU) | Total hospital capacity | Beds occupied by COVID-19 patients |
---|---|---|---|---|
M: Heart of Texas Regional Advisory | 346,651 | 220 (55) | 622 | 35.4% |
U: Coastal Bend | 630,897 | 349 (90) | 1,313 | 26.6% |
G: Piney Woods | 968,611 | 738 (251) | 2,801 | 26.3% |
S: Golden Crescent | 186,672 | 154 (49) | 598 | 25.8% |
H: Deep East Texas | 272,151 | 145 (64) | 584 | 24.8% |
R: East Texas Gulf Coast | 1,309,237 | 464 (142) | 1,879 | 24.7% |
F: Northeast Texas | 273,329 | 207 (71) | 869 | 23.8% |
E: North Central Texas | 8,080,080 | 3,264 (869) | 16,317 | 20.0% |
N: Brazos Valley | 360,335 | 117 (24) | 587 | 19.9% |
Q: Southeast Texas Trauma | 6,688,587 | 2,774 (719) | 15,037 | 18.4% |
Statewide | 29,677,668 | 11,658 (3,429) | 65,036 | 17.9% |
Hospital beds in use in Texas
The percentage of hospital beds in use across the state shows how the virus is currently impacting hospitals.
- 9% of hospitals or more reported incomplete data, falling outside of the typical range of missing data
MayJulySept.Nov.2021MarchMayJulySept.20%40%60%80%100%7-day averageSept. 2087.3%of beds are in use17.9%of beds are used by COVID-19 patients
- Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
Adult ICU beds available statewide
In April 2020, the state started reporting the number of adult intensive care unit, or ICU, beds available in Texas hospitals. These specialized beds cater to patients with the most life-threatening conditions and include equipment such as ventilators and heart rate monitors. ICU units also have staff who are trained to care for the critically ill.
- 9% or more of hospitals reported incomplete data, falling outside of the typical range of missing data
MayJulySept.Nov.2021MarchMayJulySept.5001,0001,5002,0002,500Early in the pandemic, 2,000+ adult ICU beds were available7-day averageSept. 20357 adult ICU beds available
- Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
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How many people have died?
The first death linked to the coronavirus in Texas occurred March 15, 2020 in Matagorda County. As of Sept. 21, 61,178 people who tested positive for the virus have died in Texas. DSHS counts deaths based on death certificates that list COVID-19 as the cause of death, which excludes deaths of people with COVID-19 who died of another cause.
[ This timeline tracks COVID-19’s rampage through Texas over the virus’ first year ]
Some regions with the highest mortality rates are predominantly Hispanic. The virus has been more deadly in Hidalgo and Cameron counties in the Rio Grande Valley, where death rates rival more populous parts of the state like Dallas and San Antonio. In El Paso County, thousands of residents have died of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, placing the region far ahead of other major urban counties in deaths per 1,000 residents.
New deaths from coronavirus reported each day
The average number of deaths reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by de-emphasizing daily swings.AprilJulyOct.2021AprilJuly2004007-day averageWinter storm delayedreportingSept. 21346 deaths
- Note: On July 27, 2020, the state began reporting deaths based on death certificates that state COVID-19 as the cause of death. On that day, more than 400 previously unreported deaths were added to the total death toll due to the reporting change. See notes about the data.
- Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
How many new cases are reported each day?
The state reports the number of new confirmed cases and probable cases of the coronavirus in Texas each day, which excludes backlogged cases. The number of new cases reported drops on weekends, when labs are less likely to report new data to the state.
New variants of the coronavirus that seem to spread more easily have been found in Texas, though preliminary studies suggest that vaccinations are still effective against the variants.
The state reports very limited demographic data for people who have had COVID-19, so the impact on Texans of color is difficult to measure.
New confirmed cases of coronavirus each day
The state has reported roughly 3.3 million confirmed cases in Texas. The average number of confirmed cases reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by de-emphasizing daily swings. Confirmed cases are detected through molecular tests.AprilJulyOct.2021AprilJuly5,00010,00015,00020,00025,000MasksrequiredstatewideSome capacity restrictions endMasks nolonger required7-day averageSept. 2110,534 cases
- Note: As of June 2021, Bexar County is not reporting every day, which may cause spikes in the data.
- Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
There are 644,264 known probable cases in 230 counties, including 2,622 newly reported cases on Sept. 21. The state began reporting probable cases, which can be detected through antigen tests, in November. A total of 24 counties, including Harris, Travis, and El Paso, are not reporting probable cases to the state, though antigen tests may take place there.
How many coronavirus tests are coming back positive?
The positivity rate measures how prevalent the virus is in Texas. A rate over 10% puts states in the “red zone,” according to federal guidance. During Texas’ two largest outbreaks, the rate exceeded 20%, meaning 1 in 5 tests were positive.
This rate is calculated by dividing the average number of confirmed cases by the average number of molecular tests conducted over the last seven days. This shows how the situation has changed over time by deemphasizing daily swings.
7-day average for the positivity rate
The state calculates the positivity rate by dividing confirmed cases by total molecular tests. Because this formula relies on the date on which the test was administered, the rates for previous days are recalculated as more test results from those dates come in.
- State did not release testing data
AprilJulyOct.2021AprilJuly5%10%15%20%25%30%Masks required statewideSome capacity restrictions endMasks nolongerrequired7-day averageRed zone: Above 10%Sept. 2015.4%
- Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
DSHS reports a second positivity rate based only on rapid-result antigen tests, which detect probable cases. As of Sept. 20, the rate was 5.6% out of 7.3 million tests.
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How many tests have been administered?
As of Sept. 20, Texas has administered 41 million tests for the coronavirus since March 2020. We do not know the number of Texans who have gotten a test because some people are tested more than once. The state’s tally does not include pending tests.
Coronavirus test results reported to the state each day
The average number of tests reported over the past seven days shows how the situation has changed over time by de-emphasizing daily swings. State officials report three types of tests. Viral tests such as molecular and antigen tests determine whether someone currently has the virus. Antibody tests detect whether someone was previously infected.
- Molecular tests
- Antigen tests
- Antibody tests
- State did not classify the type of test
- Viral tests were not broken down by molecular or antigen
Editor’s note: Between Jan. 6 and Sept. 13, 2021, the chart showing the number of tests administered each day was incorrect. Antigen tests were included with molecular tests, causing them to be counted twice in the bar chart. The seven-day average line was not affected.AprilJulyOct.2021AprilJuly50,000100,000150,000200,000250,0007-day averageSept. 20148,243 tests
- Source: Texas Department of State Health Services
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What else should I know about this data?
These numbers come from the Texas Department of State Health Services, which typically updates statewide case counts by 4 p.m. each day.
In order to publish data quickly, the state has to bypass what is normally a monthslong process of reviewing infectious disease data and performing quality checks before publishing. That’s why all of these numbers and information are provisional and subject to change.
The state’s data includes cases from federal immigration detention centers, federal prisons and starting in mid-May, state prisons. It does not include cases or vaccinations reported at military bases.
Total population counts for the state and its counties are from the 2020 U.S. census. The state’s population by race, ethnicity and age group are from the Census Bureau’s Vintage 2019 population estimates.
Notes about the data:
On March 24, 2020, the state changed how it reported numbers resulting in a sharp increase in cases.
Antibody tests were included in the new total tests counts for each day before May 14. Previously, the state had counted about 50,000 total antibody tests as virus tests, artificially deflating the positivity rate.
After a system upgrade on June 7 resulting in incomplete test data, the state revised the test numbers for June 6 to show a decrease in total viral tests. The testing numbers for June 6 are not shown in the test results by day chart.
On June 16, the state included 1,476 cases previously reported by the Texas Department of Criminal Justice from Anderson and Brazoria counties in its cumulative case count. The new cases for June 16 do not include those cases.
On July 17, the state received about 5,268 additional cases from Bexar County. The state only included 608 of those cases as new confirmed cases for that day and added the rest to the cumulative count.
On July 19, the state removed 3,676 duplicate antibody tests from the previous day’s total.
From July 23 to July 28, between 9% and 18% of hospitals reported incomplete hospitalization numbers due to changes in reporting to meet federal requirements.
On July 25, the state removed 2,092 probable cases from the Corpus Christi-Nueces County Public Health District that had been previously included in the cumulative case count.
On July 27, the state began reporting deaths based on death certificates that state COVID-19 as the cause of death. On that day, more than 400 previously unreported deaths were added to the total death toll due to the reporting change.
On July 30, the state said an “automation error” caused approximately 225 deaths to be incorrectly added to the overall death count; a subsequent quality check revealed COVID-19 was not the direct cause of death in these cases. We updated the cumulative numbers for July 27-29 to account for this error. The automation error also caused us to incorrectly state the percentage of Hispanics who have died of COVID-19 and the number of previously unreported deaths on July 27. These have been corrected.
On Aug. 3, the state removed 536 duplicate confirmed cases from the overall cases count for Bexar County. Bexar County reported 471 new confirmed cases on this date.
On Aug. 7, DSHS started dividing viral tests into molecular and antigen tests on their site. We’ve combined the two to come up with the total number of viral tests.
On Aug. 7, DSHS reported that some molecular tests had been miscoded, inflating the number of antibody tests over the previous couple of days. This was corrected, resulting in the number of antibody tests to decline from the 6th to the 7th. Because a breakdown of these tests is not available, the charts are showing the inflated numbers on those days.
On Aug. 10, the number of new cases reported did not include new cases from Nueces County due to a “large backlog of positive lab reports” that the county was working through.
In mid-August, several labs submitted large backlogs of tests to the state, which could not have been added untilcoding errors were fixed and a system update was complete. Because of this, the state reported a record number of tests on Aug. 13. Of those 124,000 tests, approximately 95,000 were from one lab serving several hospitals.
At the same time, DSHS started reporting backlogged cases during their daily updates. They are listed, by month, on the DSHS site. In all instances, these cases were added to the cumulative statewide total, as well as the cumulative count for the county listed on their site. They were not added to the new cases reported for the state that day.
In December, DSHS also began reporting backlogged probable cases when it started reporting probable cases statewide.
As of Aug. 9, 2021, we have stopped listing the backlogs on our site. Instead, you can view them on the DSHS site.
On Aug. 24, 2020, the state was unable to update its testing numbers because of a power outage affecting multiple state agencies. The numbers, however, were added retroactively.
On Sept. 9, TDCJ reported 453 fewer cases among inmates in a state prison in Walker County. These were removed from the county’s total case count, as well as the statewide total.
On Sept. 12, the state said a data entry error caused 91 cases to be incorrectly added to the Sept. 11 statewide and Colorado County total case counts. We updated the cumulative numbers for Sept. 11 to account for this error.
On Sept. 14, DSHS began publishing a new version of the state’s positivity rate, which takes into account the date a test was administered. Previously, the state’s rate relied on the date a test was reported to health officials and verified as a case, which sometimes caused the rate to swing wildly after officials input large numbers of older, backlogged test results. The positivity rate calculation change revealed that the figure was higher in the spring than originally disclosed.
The same day, the state started deduplicating their test results, causing a drop in overall tests. This made the seven-day average of tests incalculable for one week.
Also on Sept. 14, Lamar County overstated their case count by 41 cases. These were removed on Sept. 15. The statewide cumulative case count was also adjusted to reflect this change.
On Sept. 16, case counts decreased in 12 counties. TDCJ reported reduced case counts in Bee and La Salle counties. Cases were deduplicated in Calhoun, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Kerr, Lavaca, Orange, Roberts and Wharton counties. Shackelford and Swisher counties saw decreases after updating case information.
On Sept. 17, case counts decreased in 13 counties. TDCJ reported reduced case counts in Bee, Childress, Houston, Karnes, Madison and Walker counties. Cases were deduplicated in Bandera, Kendall, Titus and Zavala counties. Archer, Swisher and Yoakum counties saw decreases after updating case information.
On Sept. 18, case counts from TDCJ decreased in Anderson County by 1,070, which decreased the total number of cases for that county. Most of these cases were added back on Sept. 21. Also, TDCJ reported reduced case counts in Duval, Fannin, Grimes and Liberty counties. Bailey County saw a decrease after updating case information.
On Oct. 16, El Paso reported 1,555 new cases, which included cases from Oct. 15 and Oct. 16. The county previously did not report any new cases on Oct. 15.
On Oct. 20, some counties could not update their case counts because of an issue assigning cases to the correct jurisdiction in Texas Health Trace, an online system for contact tracing. These were added on Oct. 21.
On Oct. 29, the state removed 273 probable cases from Hays County that had been previously included in the cumulative case count.
On Oct. 30, the state removed 120 positive antigen cases from several counties that had been previously included in the cumulative case count.
On Oct. 31, the state removed 25 duplicate cases from several counties that had been previously included in the cumulative case count.
On Nov. 6, the state adjusted statewide and El Paso County cases after 1,563 cases that should have been reported Nov. 2 and 3 were instead reported Nov. 4.
On Nov. 9, the state removed 2,363 probable cases from Bexar County that had been previously included in the cumulative case count.
On Nov. 11, the state removed 260 overreported cases from Brazoria County’s cumulative case count and the statewide cumulative case count.
On Nov. 14, the state removed 108 overreported cases from McCulloch County’s cumulative case count and the statewide cumulative case count.
On Nov. 14, older cases were incorrectly added to the daily case counts in the following counties: Atascosa, Bandera, Calhoun, Dimmit, Frio, Gillespie, Gonzales, Guadalupe, Jackson, Kendall, Kerr, Lavaca, Medina, Wilson and Zavala. The statewide new case count for that day was adjusted on Nov. 16.
On Nov. 16, the state was unable to update its testing data because of technical difficulties. The issue was resolved, and testing data reported for that date includes laboratory tests from both Nov. 15 and 16.
On Nov. 18, the state removed 2 overreported cases from Loving County’s cumulative case count and the statewide cumulative case count for Nov. 17.
On Nov. 27, the state removed 87 duplicate cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count in the following counties: Concho, Mason, McCulloch and Winkler.
On Dec. 1, the state removed 270 overreported cases from Galveston County’s cumulative case count and the statewide cumulative case count for Nov. 30.
On Dec. 4, the state removed 112 cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count for counties in Region 2/3 due to incorrect addresses. The state also removed 33 cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count for counties in Region 9/10 due to ongoing quality assurance processes.
On Dec. 5, the state removed 30 cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count for counties in Region 9/10 due to ongoing quality assurance processes.
On Dec. 8, the state removed 1,228 probable cases from Lamar County’s cumulative case count and the statewide cumulative case count. Those counts only include confirmed cases.
On Dec. 9, the state removed 8 overreported cases from Pecos County’s cumulative case count and the statewide cumulative count for Dec. 8.
On Dec. 10, the state removed 88 cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count for counties in Region 9/10 due to ongoing quality assurance processes.
On Dec. 11, the state removed 96 cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count for counties in Region 9/10 due to ongoing quality assurance processes.
On Dec. 14, the state removed 14 confirmed cases and 258 probable cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count for counties in Region 9/10 due to ongoing quality assurance processes.
On Dec. 17, the state removed 14,220 probable and suspected cases that were previously included in the confirmed cases total.
On Dec. 30, the state added roughly 80,000 backlogged antibody tests from Carter BloodCare.
On Jan. 14, 2021, the state removed 1,403 overreported cases from Henderson County’s total case count for Jan. 13. The state also added 142 cases back to Fannin County’s total case count for Jan. 13 that were accidentally not included. This led to an adjustment of the total statewide count.
On Jan. 17, the state removed 1,632 probable cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count for counties in Region 4/5 due to ongoing quality assurance processes.
On Jan. 20, the state removed 82 confirmed cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count for Pecos County due to ongoing quality assurance processes.
On Jan. 30, the state removed 335 confirmed cases from Hays County that had been previously included in the cumulative case count after a routine data audit.
On Jan. 31, the state removed 120 overreported cases from Cameron County’s case count for Jan. 30. The statewide cumulative case count was adjusted as well.
On Feb. 1, Region 7 reported 12,836 backlogged confirmed cases and 1,244 backlogged probable cases. These are included in the statewide backlog totals.
On Feb. 5, the state removed 63 confirmed cases that were previously included in the cumulative case count for counties in Region 7 due to ongoing quality assurance processes.
On Feb. 8, the state removed 555 overreported probable cases from Brazoria County’s case count for Feb. 7. The statewide cumulative case count was adjusted as well.
On Feb. 9, the state removed 194 confirmed cases that had been previously included in the cumulative case count for Coryell County in Region 7 due to ongoing quality assurance processes. The state also removed 144 confirmed cases from the county on Feb. 10.
On Feb. 15, the counties in Region 8 did not update. Anderson, Angelina, Gregg, Henderson, Jasper, Newton, Polk, Rains, Sabine, San Augustine, Smith, Tyler, Van Zandt, and Wood counties also did not update.
On Feb. 16, the state removed 704 probable cases from several counties in Region 11 due to ongoing quality assurance processes.
On Feb. 20, the state corrected an error in reporting from Gray County, removing 100 cases.
On Feb. 25, the state removed 108 cases erroneously reported by TDCJ from Bee and Duval counties.
On Feb. 25 and Feb. 26, the number of confirmed cases for Medina County was overreported by 26 and 20 cases, respectively.
On March 1, Bexar County converted 1,843 previously reported probable cases into confirmed cases.
On March 2, the state removed 1,119 cases from Scurry County’s cumulative case count that were accidentally added in mid-February because of a reporting error.
On March 6, a technical issue caused the state to report fewer total antibody tests than the previous day.
On March 17, Region 7 reported two days of COVID-19 numbers. On March 16, they did not update due to technical issues.
On March 30, the state removed 1,000 overreported probable cases from Dallas County’s cumulative case count and the statewide cumulative case count.
In late March and early April, officials in Orange County removed duplicate cases, causing a drop in both probable and confirmed cases.
On April 22, the state reported a low number of tests statewide due to technical issues. The issue was resolved on April 23.
On April 26, the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center reported the results from 213,923 antibody tests to the state.
On April 27, Hunt County added 802 probable cases and removed 417 confirmed cases.
On May 4, the state removed duplicate cases from the cumulative case counts for counties in Region 8. A total of 232 confirmed and 133 probable cases were removed.
On May 12, TDCJ removed 28 confirmed cases, resulting in decreases in cases in Houston, Johnson, Rusk and Walker counties.
On May 18, Brazoria County removed 24 confirmed cases that were erroneously reported or duplicates. TDCJ also reported 15 older confirmed cases in Houston, Johnson, Rusk and Walker counties.
On May 24, Hays County removed 41 confirmed cases due to the county’s weekly data audit.
On June 5 and 7, several counties in Region 4/5 didn’t report data.
On June 6, several counties in Region 1 and Region 8 didn’t report data.
On June 9, Bell County and Webb County reported 4,750 probable cases that had previously not been included. These cases were not included in the new probable cases reported for the state on June 9.
On June 15, Williamson County removed 329 cases from their cumulative confirmed case count.
On June 16 and June 17, Harris County removed 23 and 382 duplicate cases, respectively, from their cumulative confirmed case count.
On June 18, Frio County removed 86 confirmed cases from their cumulative case count due to adjustments from TDCJ. Harris County also removed 303 confirmed cases from their cumulative case count.
On June 21, Harris County removed 83 cases from their cumulative confirmed case count.
On June 22, Jefferson County reported 505 new confirmed cases, but 482 of these cases were older cases. The historical data was revised on July 8.
On June 23, counties in Region 8 removed 640 confirmed and 490 probable cases from their counts after a major deduplication effort.
On June 24, Harris County removed 170 cases from their cumulative confirmed case count.
On June 26, Ellis and Walker counties removed 96 and 37 confirmed cases, respectively, from their case counts.
On June 28, Harris County removed 187 duplicate cases from their cumulative confirmed case count.
On June 30, Ellis and Walker counties removed 47 and 276 confirmed cases, respectively, from their case counts.
On July 2, Ellis and Jones counties removed 35 and 25 confirmed cases, respectively, from their case counts.
On July 9, the state removed 52 confirmed cases from Ellis County’s case count due to quality assurance processes.
On July 21, July 24 and July 29, the state removed 39, 28 and 12 confirmed cases, respectively, from Anderson County’s case count due to adjustments from TDCJ.
On July 28, the state removed 17 duplicate confirmed cases from Orange County’s case count.
On July 30, the state removed 180 overreported confirmed cases from Bell County’s case count and the statewide cumulative case count.
On Aug. 14, the state reported over 21,000 new confirmed cases due to Bexar County reporting 9,005 new confirmed cases and 1,093 new probable cases after a week of not updating.
On Aug. 17, Bexar County removed 432 new probable cases from their cumulative probable case count.
On Aug. 19, the state removed 540 confirmed cases from Ector County’s cumulative case count that were misreported because of a typo.
On Aug. 22, the state removed 265 confirmed cases from Anderson County’s cumulative case count.
On Sept. 9, the state removed 41 confirmed cases from Anderson County’s cumulative case count due to adjustments from TDCJ.
On Sept. 11, the state removed 577 confirmed cases from Anderson, Coryell, Fannin, Jones, Pecos, San Saba and Wise counties’ cumulative case count due to adjustments from TDCJ.
On Sept. 11, the state removed 54 confirmed cases from Anderson, Houston, San Saba, and Walker counties’ cumulative case count due to adjustments from TDCJ.
Corrections:
Between May 27 and May 30, 2020: The tracker incorrectly stated our formula for calculating the average daily positivity rate. On three of those days, we also had a slightly different positive rate, but have updated our numbers to reflect the state’s methodology.
On Sept. 14, 15 and 16: The tracker included incorrect numbers for cumulative statewide tests. On those dates, there had been 5,671,966, 5,729,318 and 5,780,424 tests, not 5,637,040, 5,671,966 and 5,729,318 tests, respectively.
On Sept. 21: The tracker included an incorrect number of total cases because of a DSHS error in reporting Bexar County’s backlogged cases. There were 1,742 cases statewide, not 1,732, and 2,078 backlogged cases in Bexar County, not 2,088.
On Oct. 13: The tracker included the incorrect number of cumulative cases and daily cases statewide because the state overreported the number of cases in Brazoria County by 159. There had been 800,256 cumulative cases, not 800,415, and 5,050 daily cases statewide, not 5,209.
On Nov. 21: The tracker included incorrect death counts for 19 counties due to an editing error: El Paso has 949 deaths, not 106; Ellis has 106 deaths, not 949; Deaf Smith has 36 deaths, not 44; Delta has one death, not 36; Denton has 200 deaths, not one; DeWitt has 44 deaths, not 200; La Salle has 14 deaths, not 10; Lamar has 66 deaths, not 14; Lamb has 35 deaths, not 66; Lampasas has 10 deaths, not 35; Madison has 12 deaths, not two; Marion has 15 deaths, not 59; Martin has 176 deaths, not 169; Mason has two deaths, not six; Matagorda has 59 deaths, not 175; Maverick has 169 deaths, not one; McCullouch has six deaths, not 12; McLennan has 175 deaths, not 15 and McMullen has one death, not 7.
On Dec. 23: The tracker incorrectly said the average number of people who reportedly died from coronavirus within the previous seven days was at its highest since July. It was at its highest since August.
Between Jan. 14 and Feb. 19, 2021: The tracker incorrectly labeled a chart of vaccines administered each day. The chart showed vaccines reported to the state, not vaccines administered.
On Feb. 19: The tracker incorrectly reported Texas has administered 22.5 million tests for the coronavirus since March 2020. The state corrected their number on Feb. 20 to account for a lower number of tests administered in the previous week, and the new total is 22.4 million.
Between Jan. 14 and Feb. 19: The tracker incorrectly labeled a chart of vaccines administered each day. The chart showed vaccines reported to the state, not vaccines administered.
Between Feb. 10 and Feb. 25: The map showing cases reported in the last two weeks contained inaccurate numbers for Scurry County. The state was overreporting cases from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. The number of total confirmed cases for the county was corrected on March 2.
March 13: The number of new cases in the last 14 days, which is listed in the county table and map, was not updated on March 12. This data was corrected on March 13.
May 26: The total number of cases and deaths, listed in the top boxes, county table and map, included outdated data on May 25. The numbers in the vaccine charts were also outdated. This data was corrected on May 26.
July 9: Between Jan. 4 and July 8, the tracker incorrectly reported the daily number of hospitalizations as one day ahead. For instance, hospitalization numbers for July 7 actually represented the July 6 numbers. This was because of a change in the way DSHS reported its data.
Sept. 14: Between Jan. 6 and Sept. 13, 2021, the chart showing the number of tests administered each day was incorrect. Antigen tests were included with molecular tests, causing them to be counted twice in the bar chart. The seven-day average line was not affected.
Sept. 15: A previous headline for this story incorrectly stated that the COVID-19 death toll in Texas on Sept. 15 was near 6,000. The correct number of deaths on that date was near 60,000.
Clarification:
Sept. 10: The number of total available ICU beds does not include pediatric ICU beds. As of Sept. 1, DSHS started reporting separate totals for available adult and pediatric ICU beds.