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Coronavirus updates in Central Texas: Travis County reports 9 more deaths from COVID-19, 235 new cases

Here are the latest COVID-19 updates, closures and postponements in Central Texas for Wednesday, July 29.

AUSTIN, Texas — Editor's note: This live blog is no longer updating. For the latest coronavirus news in Central Texas, check out KVUE's July 30 live blog.

KVUE is keeping you updated with the latest coronavirus, also known as COVID-19, news in the Austin area.

Scroll down for the top headlines and latest updates in KVUE's July 29 live blog.

COVID-19 numbers:

  • Texas: More than 394,200 cases have been reported in the state, and more than 5,800 people in Texas have died, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. More than 244,400 people have recovered.
  • Central Texas counties: 
    • Travis County: Over 20,100 cases have been reported and at least 264 people have died. At least 17,691 people have recovered from the virus.
    • Hays County: Over 4,200 confirmed cases have been reported and at least 25 people have died. At least 1,316 people have recovered from the virus.
    • Williamson County: More than 5,500 cases have been reported in the county and at least 79 people have died. At least 4,822 people have recovered from the virus.

Top headlines:

Updates:

6:05 p.m. – Williamson County reported another 118 deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, bringing the total to 5,551 total confirmed cases.

5:55 p.m. – Travis County reported another nine deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday, as well as 235 new confirmed cases, bringing the total to 20,187 cases and 264 deaths.

There are currently 371 people hospitalized from the virus in Travis County, with 128 in the ICU and 89 on ventilators. At least 17,691 people have recovered.

5 p.m. – Hays County reported another 31 confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday, along with 65 additional recoveries. The county has had a total of 4,276 confirmed cases and 25 deaths. At least 1,316 people have recovered from the virus.

3:45 p.m. – University of Texas at Austin announced it is requesting all students self-quarantine for 14 days prior to arrival. The request is part of the university’s plan to limit the spread of the coronavirus as students return. 

The university is asking arriving students to stay home and limit in-person interactions as much as possible throughout the two-week period.

3 p.m. – St. David's HealthCare announced Wednesday that its CareNow Urgent Care clinics offer COVID-19 diagnostic and antibody testing.

2:12 p.m. – Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte said the athletic department was "working closely with President Hartzell and Chairman Eltife to explore a 25% capacity model at football games this fall." Del Conte said he would keep UT fans updated in the coming weeks.

12:24 p.m. - The chief economist for a Texas think tank is under fire for posting a racist, now-deleted tweet which said that, because the elderly and Hispanic population make up a large portion of the coronavirus deaths, those populations should be targeted and schools should reopen.

11:30 a.m. – According to a survey conducted by the New York Times (NYT), UT has had the most COVID-19 cases reported than any other university in the U.S. 

The NYT surveyed every public four-year university in the country and "every private institution that competes in Division I sports or is a member of an elite group of research universities."

To read more about the survey, click here.

WATCH: Texas man dies from COVID-19 while waiting for plasma treatment

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