Health

El PASO, Texas -- The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in El Paso County hit a milestone Tuesday night, reaching 50. That represents a five-fold increase from a little more than a week ago when there were just ten cases. (You can see a locator map of all the cases at the end of this article.)

Four new cases of the virus were confirmed, health officials said on Tuesday night. Among the latest to test positive was an employee at El Paso Children's hospital, the second known case of infection involving a local healthcare worker.

Of the 50 confirmed cases to date, the city health department said a majority of those - 31- were women, while the remaining 19 were men. In all, 355 people have been tested by the health department.

Officials continued to warn of so-called "community spread," saying the source of infection was unknown in some of the cases. In some of the early outbreaks, health leaders were able to pinpoint travel as the likely source - but that's not been the situation with more recent cases.

"Every time we report new numbers, whether it’s one or two or four, keep in mind that these are more potential exposures for people who may have underlying conditions," said Dr. Hector Ocaranza of the El Paso City/County Health Authority. “When we ask you to stay home, you need to stay home.”

Word of the additional cases Tuesday came hours El Paso officials first announced, and then postponed a news conference to unveil new virus restrictions on top of a recent stay-at-home order due to concerns about community spread.

City and county leaders said they still anticipated expanding those restrictions, with an announcement to now come later in the week.

Below is a map provided by health officials reflecting how local cases are located throughout El Paso, as well as other data about the outbreak here.