4,000 COVID-19 deaths: Hidalgo County reaches grim mark

FILE – In this March 21, 2021 file photo, Theresa Sari, left, and her daughter Leila Ali look at a section of a memorial wall after a news conference in New York Sari’s mother, Maria Sachse, was a nursing home resident and died from COVID-19. After a deadly year in New York’s nursing homes, state lawmakers have passed legislation that could potentially force facility owners to spend more on patient care. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

by: Alejandra Yañez

Posted: Sep 27, 2022 / 06:33 PM CDT

Updated: Sep 27, 2022 / 06:33 PM CDT

HIDALGO COUNTY, Texas (ValleyCentral) — Hidalgo County has reached a tragic milestone with its 4,000th COVID-19-related death since the start of the pandemic in March 2020.

“Each of these deaths is a tragedy,” Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez said Tuesday. “But our hope is that this latest video memorial shows our family, friends and neighbors as they lived, which is how our community should remember all of these people.”

As the county marks the grim milestone of its 4,000th COVID-19-related death it also released its fourth memorial video showing some of the victims of the deadly virus.

The video is composed of nearly 600 photos submitted by relatives and friends of people who have died from complications of COVID-19 in Hidalgo County.

“We are proud to honor the memory of our residents,” Cortez said. “We must remember that these video memorials represent only a fraction of those who succumbed as a result of this terrible disease.”