DALLAS — A year and a half after Texas reported its first death from COVID-19, more than 60,000 Texans have now died from the coronavirus.
The state reported 377 deaths Friday, raising its toll to 60,357.
Only California has had more residents — about 67,000 — die from the virus, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Texas ranks 24th among the states in deaths relative to population, with its 205 deaths per 100,000 residents slightly above the national average of 200.
The state’s deaths have largely occurred in three waves: last summer, this winter and now, as the highly contagious delta variant of the virus spreads mostly through residents who have not gotten vaccinated. But the toll — higher than the population of Euless — averages out to more than 3,300 Texans dead each month from COVID-19, or 110 per day.
Across the state, 18,628 more cases were reported Friday, including 18,097 new cases and 531 older ones recently reported by labs.
Of the new cases, 13,929 were confirmed and 4,168 were probable. Of the older cases, 252 were confirmed and 279 were probable.
The state’s case total is now 3,902,306, including 3,265,735 confirmed and 636,571 probable.
There are a total of 12,475 hospitalizations in the state, including 3,423 in North Texas.
According to the state, 16,963,517 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 14,390,670 — 59.8% of the state’s population 12 and older — are fully vaccinated.
____