Hidalgo County reports 12th COVID-19 related death

A 60-year-old Alamo man with underlying medical conditions died Friday after testing positive for the COVID-19 strain of coronavirus, Hidalgo county announced in a news release.

The unidentified man is the 12th person in Hidalgo County to die after testing positive for the disease.

“It’s hard as we confront the tragic news of another death in our community because of this disease,” Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said. “I offer condolences to this man’s family and friends and I offer prayers that others see how dangerous this virus remains.”

An additional 22 new COVID-19 cases were also reported Friday, bringing the total amount of known cases in the county to 701, the county stated.

The new cases is split between 12 men and 10 women whose ages range from their 20s to 70s from the cities of Mercedes, Edinburg, McAllen, Pharr, San Juan, Donna, Hidalgo and Alamo.

Among the new cases is a Hidalgo County employee in the county’s purchasing department who has been ordered into isolation along with several other county staff members who had contact with the employee, Judge Cortez said.

Though the affected employee does not routinely have contact with the public the office in which the affected employee works will be sanitized, the release stated.

18 people were also released from isolation Friday, bringing the total number of individuals released from isolation to 421, leaving 268 active COVID-19 cases in the county.

34 people remain hospitalized in area hospitals with complications from COVID-19 and two of them in intensive care units.

It was also announced on Friday that no juries will be empaneled in Hidalgo County until at least August 1. Trial information is available on the county’s website.