And the mayor says that will only continue in coming weeks.
The eight-county Houston region now has 656 cases, according to the Chronicle's data analysis. The state is up to more than 2,254.
12:50 p.m. The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Houston more than tripled Saturday, jumping from 69 to 232 as testing capability uncovers previously undetected cases, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced.
"Let me just say, the testing has been limited. We know there are more cases," Turner said. "The way I look at it, I take 232 and I multiply by 10. Because we just don’t know."
The new number includes three Houston police officers, bringing the total number in the department to seven.
One other death, involving a woman in her 70s who was hospitalized at the time, has been attributed to the disease in the city. The woman's positive test came back the same day she died.
Dr. David Persse, the city’s medical authority, said the large jump is because officials have to reconcile reports coming in from various sites. They want to make sure they're not duplicating people, ensuring they have an accurate count.
"The numbers give you some degree of what's taking place, but... the numbers are very fluid," Turner said, adding that will be the case for several weeks.
Houston. All because a group just had to tour to Egypt.