HOUSTON — The Texas Department of State Health Services announced 8,913 new COVID-19 cases on Tuesday, bringing the state's total to more than 500,000 total cases since the pandemic began.
Tuesday's additional cases are higher than last week's average. From Aug. 4 to Aug. 10, the state averaged 6,971 new cases a day.
The state reported 220 new deaths Tuesday. Since the state switched to reporting death certificate data, the count of "newly reported" deaths does not mean that 220 people died on Tuesday, but rather, that the state received 220 finalized death certificates. Texas now reports 8,710 total COVID-19 deaths.
Texas' seven-day average positivity rate was 20.99% as of Aug. 9, meaning for every five people tested, more than one is positive. However, the total number of tests performed impacts that number, and fewer people are getting tested than in weeks past.
From Aug. 4 to Aug. 10, Texas averaged more than 40,457 new molecular tests each day. From July 28 to Aug. 3, Texas averaged more than 61,014 new molecular tests each day, showing a nearly 33% drop.
In Harris County, outside the City of Houston, Judge Lina Hidalgo announced 631 new cases Tuesday, and 12 new deaths.
The county reported an average of 593 cases a day from Aug. 4 to Aug. 10. The highest single-day total of the pandemic for Harris County came during that span: 723 cases on Aug. 4. Harris County now has a total of 31,996 cases and 352 deaths.
The Houston Health Department reported 311 new cases on Tuesday, including eight new deaths. It's the lowest single-day count since July 8 when 204 were reported.
The city averaged 614 new cases a day from Aug. 4 to Aug. 10. Houston now has a total of 573 deaths and 55,509 cases.