The number of Texans hospitalized with lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases is increasing faster than at any other point since the pandemic began in early 2020, due to the highly contagious delta variant. As of Sunday, the Texas Department of State Health Services reported 8,892 people were in Texas hospitals. That is up more than four-fold from a month ago. The Coronavirus Resource Center at Johns Hopkins University reported 96,807 cases in the past week and 384 deaths. That is nearly eight times the number of new cases reported a month ago and more than double the deaths. In Austin, health authorities warned the ...