Soon after Gov. Abbott lifted Texas’s stay-at-home order, the state experienced an increase in the sheer number of new cases and deaths reported each day.
On May 14, Texas recorded its second-deadliest day (51) since the first COVID-19 fatality in the state on March 16, data from the state’s health department showed. The following day, Texas documented the highest single-day tally of new cases (1,818) since it recorded its first case on March 4.
In the weeks that followed, however, the seven-day average of new cases and deaths has been steadily going down, the state data revealed, echoing assessments by mainstream media outlets. The seven-day average number of hospitalizations and test positivity rates have also seen a steady, but modest decrease.