DALLAS (AP) — State health officials say the rates of COVID-19 new cases, hospitalizations and deaths are showing steeper increases than past surges. In a Wednesday video conference, the state's health officials said the rolling seven-day average of new cases has soared by 92% from last week, hospitalizations by 49% and fatalities by 15%. However, a spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services says that in the face of such grim statistics, the rolling seven-day average of vaccinations has also climbed about 75% in the past month, from about 44,000 on July 4 to about 75,000 as of Tuesday.