WACO, TX – The death toll attributed to COVID-19 in McLennan County soared past the 300 mark Friday with six new deaths reported by the Waco-McLennan County Public Health District.
The latest casualties include three men and three women, ranging in age from 59 to 95. Their deaths bring the county’s total death toll to 302, including 19 announced this year, as those highly vulnerable to the coronavirus await news on when they might get the vaccine.
As of this week, 4,211 initial shots have been given in McLennan County, mostly to the highest-priority group of frontline medical workers and nursing home residents. Residents 65 and older, pregnant women and those with chronic conditions are next in line.
The six deaths Friday came as 152 people remained hospitalized with the disease in McLennan County. The number of patients on ventilators dropped by six, to 30. Public health officials on Wednesday said hospitals were expanding their intensive care units while a refrigerated truck set up as a mobile morgue had 20 bodies of COVID-19 victims.
