Texas Reports Zero Covid Deaths in a Day, Just Two Months After Mask Mandate Lifted

Texas reported experiencing no new deaths linked to Covid-19 on Sunday, the first such day since the state lifted a mask mandate more than two months ago.

The state reported 650 new confirmed cases of the virus on the same day, bringing its confirmed total to date to just less than 2.5 million confirmed cases. The seven-day positivity rate for the state averaged 3.9 percent as of Saturday.

Cases in Texas peaked in January at more than 22,000 daily. Gov. Greg Abbott (R) nonetheless lifted a statewide mask mandate — to the chagrin of critics — in the first week of March. In addition to nearly 3 million Texans who have contracted confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19 since the virus began, more than 9 million Texans had been fully vaccinated against the virus as of Monday, with another 2.5 million partially vaccinated. Combined, the figures account for a little more than 52 percent of the state’s residents.

The state’s vaccination numbers beat the national average, according to data from the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention. Agency data indicated 47.3 percent of Americans had received at least one dose of a Covid-19 vaccine as of Monday, with 37 percent fully vaccinated.