El Paso County recorded just over 1,000 new weekly COVID-19 cases this past week, the lowest number in six months.

More than 110,000 El Pasoans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Most coronavirus trends remain positive in El Paso. Here’s our weekly COVID-19 data report.

New cases

El Paso County hasn’t seen fewer than 1,000 new weekly COVID-19 cases since Sept. 13-19, but we came close this past week at 1,017. (An important caution: the state lags at providing some data from private labs; it’s likely this past week’s number could go up by another 50-75 cases as delayed data is reported in the next few weeks.)

New El Paso COVID-19 cases have declined in eight of the past 10 weeks. New weekly cases are now down 93% from our November high point. Also, our number of new weekly cases the past three weeks has been below our first wave of COVID-19 infections in the summer of 2020.

We haven’t yet seen evidence of a spike in new cases since Texas ended most pandemic restrictions March 10, though the numbers this coming week bear watching. Most businesses in El Paso appear to be requiring face masks and social distancing, which helps to slow community spread.

El Paso could still face another surge in cases if people ease up on protective measures.

Hospitals

The number of El Pasoans with COVID-19 cases requiring hospital care on Saturday reached the lowest point since Oct. 9. The number of people requiring intensive care for COVID-19 treatment is at its lowest point since Oct. 10.

Deaths

The number of people dying of COVID-19 has been fairly consistent for the past three weeks. One El Paso is dying of COVID-19 every six to seven hours.

The total number of COVID-19 deaths in El Paso has surpassed 2,700, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. 

Vaccinations

Almost 204,000 El Pasoans have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, almost one in three residents over age 16. 

More than 111,000 are fully vaccinated against the novel coronavirus. Sometime in the next couple of weeks, the number of El Pasoans fully vaccinated against COVID-19 could surpass the number of people who have tested positive for the virus.

El Paso County is scheduled to receive just under 18,000 first doses of COVID-19 vaccine this coming week, generally in line with what we’ve been receiving the past month.

Cover photo: A nurse prepares a COVID-19 vaccination dose at the city government’s hub near El Paso International Airport. (Photo courtesy of city of El Paso)