The state of Texas reported its highest single-day total of COVID-19-related death with 313 new fatalities on Wednesday, according to data from the Texas Department of Health and Human Services.
The Lone Star State, which recorded its first COVID-19 death in March, has now reported a total of 6,190 fatalities. The state also reported 9,042 newly confirmed coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing Texas’s total to 403,307 infections.
Harris County, where Houston is located, has reported the most deaths at 1,182, followed by Dallas County with 610 and Bexar County with 521.
The grim milestone for Texas came the same day the U.S. recorded 150,000 COVID-19 deaths.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) had instituted a statewide mask mandate earlier in July amid the rise in cases and deaths.
The Texas Democratic Party released a statement in response to the highest single-day death toll, with spokesman Abhi Rahman saying “the coronavirus is now out of control.”
“Instead of following the advice of doctors and experts, Donald Trump and Greg Abbott tried to discredit them to appease their right-wing lobbyist, donors, and base, even things as simple as wearing a mask,” he said. “This is emblematic of the modern-day Republican Party: putting the pursuit of power over science and logic.”
