By Alison Medley
Published
Chron.com is following the latest headlines on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects on the Houston area.
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Alfredo Gutierrez, left, fills out paperwork as Conner Scott donates plasma at Houston Methodist Hospital on Friday, May 15, 2020 in Houston. Scott, a sophomore at Texas A&M University, has donated his plasma for a Houston Methodist study seven times since recovering from COVID-19 in late March. He researched plasma treatments himself before deciding to contribute. “It’s pretty selfish if I have something that could help people and I’m not doing anything about it,” he said. less
Alfredo Gutierrez, left, fills out paperwork as Conner Scott donates plasma at Houston Methodist Hospital on Friday, May 15, 2020 in Houston. Scott, a sophomore at Texas A&M University, has donated his plasma … more
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer
Alfredo Gutierrez, left, fills out paperwork as Conner Scott donates plasma at Houston Methodist Hospital on Friday, May 15, 2020 in Houston. Scott, a sophomore at Texas A&M University, has donated his plasma for a Houston Methodist study seven times since recovering from COVID-19 in late March. He researched plasma treatments himself before deciding to contribute. “It’s pretty selfish if I have something that could help people and I’m not doing anything about it,” he said. less
Alfredo Gutierrez, left, fills out paperwork as Conner Scott donates plasma at Houston Methodist Hospital on Friday, May 15, 2020 in Houston. Scott, a sophomore at Texas A&M University, has donated his plasma … more
Photo: Brett Coomer, Staff Photographer
8:05 a.m.
The Texas Medical Center has seen an uptick in COVID-19 cases since the reopening of Texas on May 1. Cases of COVID-19 have jumped in the Houston region from 267 on May 22 to 358 on June 4.
Data compiled from hospital systems in the Texas Medical Center reveals an increase in the percentage of ICU admissions of coronavirus patients. At 16 percent, the data elevates to the level of “moderate concern” in TMC’s ICU bed capacity model as of June 4.
According to Houston Methodist’s ICU director, Dr. Faisal Masud, there’s been a steady climb in COVID-19 patients who have recently been admitted to the hospital.
“I’m watching these numbers very closely,” Masud said. “With recent mass demonstrations, instead of social distancing, there’s actually social gathering. Within the next 7 days, I’m concerned about what kind of volume of patients could we see.”
Read more in this update. Follow the Houston Chronicle’s reports on COVID-19 here.
7:16 a.m.
There are now 6,797,633 confirmed coronavirus cases worldwide as of Saturday morning, according to Johns Hopkins University. The U.S. now leads the world with 1,906,060 confirmed cases, and the death toll has risen to 109,305.
The confirmed COVID-19 cases in Texas have climbed to 71,613, with a death toll of 1,788, according to Texas Health and Human Services. There are currently 13,603 active cases in Harris County.
