Texas Public Radio is updating information on COVID-19 in the Rio Grande Valley here. You can find the latest news from TPR in San Antonio here. Other NPRstations that are part of The Texas Newsroom are also live-blogging, including Houston Public Media, KERA in Dallas and KUT in Austin.
The statewide coronavirus hotline is 2-1-1. CDC guidelines on what you need to know and what to do if you are sick with COVID-19 can be found here in English and Spanish, and embedded at the end of this live blog.
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Here's what we know...
Thursday, May 14
9:30 p.m. – New death, 15 cases reported in Cameron County
A 90-year-old resident of the Windsor Atrium nursing home has died after testing positive for the novel coronavirus, Cameron County Public Health announced on Thursday. This the fourth elderly case reported in Cameron County this week that has resulted in death.
Windsor Atrium is connected to 12 resident deaths and 90 positive cases. It is one of three care facilities in the area with recorded outbreaks among residents or staff, which together account for a third of the total cases and 85 percent of the deaths reported in-county.
Twenty-two recoveries and 13 new cases were also confirmed on Thursday. Nine new cases are from Brownsville and two from Harlingen and Los Fresnos, respectively. The youngest of the cases reported is a 5 year-old boy and the oldest is an 80-year-old male, both from Brownsville.
At 582 positive known cases and 26 deaths, Cameron County leads the Valley in the largest number of COVID-19 infections.
7 p.m. – Hidalgo County confirms eight additional cases of COVID-19
Eight new cases of the novel coronavirus were confirmed in Hidalgo County on Thursday. The youngest of the group is a female in her 20s from Mission, the oldest is a female from Pharr in her 70s. Thursday's reports also included residents of McAllen, Edinburg, Alton and Palmview.
There are now 417 reported cases of COVID-19 with 165 active cases in quarantine. Three people were "released from isolation" Thursday, taking the number of individuals who have recovered to 242.
4 p.m. – Starr County confirms new case in 13-year-old
Starr County is seeing a second case of COVID-19 this week in a 13-year-old boy from Rio Grande City.
According to county health authority Dr. Jose Vasquez, there is a history of travel in the boy's family. There are currently nine active cases in the county and seven recoveries.
12 p.m. – 1,004 confirmed cases, 36 deaths connected to COVID-19 in the Valley
As of Thursday morning, the four Valley-area counties have reported the following counts:
- 409 cases, 10 deaths in Hidalgo County
- 569 cases, 25 deaths in Cameron County
- 14 cases, 1 death in Willacy County
- 15 cases in Starr County
Data visualizations are maintained and published by journalist Ronnie Garza on the website https://www.rgvcovid19info.com. Hover over the graph to view updated values.
| Find previous COVID-19 blogs here |
Community Helpline Numbers
Statewide COVID-19 Resources
- 2-1-1 (option 6)
Cameron County
- 956-247-3650 (24/7)
Hidalgo County
- 956-292-7765 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Willacy and Starr Counties
- 956-421-5505
CDC Guidelines in English and Spanish
