Should we wear masks? Tarrant County health director answers coronavirus questions.
The director of the Tarrant County Health Department answered questions about COVID-19 on Monday, including questions about whether the county has enough coronavirus tests and if any healthcare workers have tested positive for the virus.
As of Monday, Tarrant County had as many as 238 cases of COVID-19, though some of those cases have not been completely confirmed and are considered provisional data, according to a health department news release.
The county had previously reported only confirmed cases, not suspected cases that required further investigation.
Director Vinny Taneja answered questions from reporters at the Tarrant County Public Health Building in Fort Worth on Monday.
Answers have been edited for length and clarity.
What does it mean that Tarrant County is including provisional data in reporting?
The numbers are where we see a case but there wasn’t enough time to get all the demographics verified. If you wait on that, it will be a few days. So we decided to include provisional data so we can include how many cases are reported in our community every day.
The provisional data will give an almost daily count on how many cases were reported, and then some of the details will be pending.
Are the number of coronavirus cases still increasing?
Yes.
I really hope we don’t get as far as Dallas is, but it won’t surprise me if we get there.
How long will this last?
Pandemics tend to last for awhile, and it’s a very vague statement because nobody knows.
It could be over in two weeks, it could be over in two months.
Are there enough tests for everyone in Tarrant County who wants a test done?
There is not enough supply in the entire healthcare system right now to meet an individual’s need to know. We’re having to apply certain criteria to our testing abilities.
The private labs are getting backed up because there is not enough capacity. Hospitals are deciding to retain tests for the critically ill. And for others, if it looks like COVID-19, they do not test, but send them home to self-quarantine.
When is the peak of case numbers expected in Tarrant County?
There is no crystal ball, unfortunately. Originally there was some discussion that we could see a peak in early April. Now that’s been pushed out because those data dashboards are taking into account that larger counties in Texas have put social distancing in place. We’re remaining hopeful we’ll see a slow ramp-up and hopefully sometime in April, get a better idea of where we’re heading.
How many people are hospitalized right now for COVID-19 in Tarrant County?
We would have to call each hospital to get that information and sometimes we don’t get it. Out of all our reported cases, about 25% had been in the hospital at some point. Some were there for one day and went home, some were there for three or four days.
How many hospital beds does Tarrant County have available and what is the capacity?
I don’t have that data right now. We’re crafting a dashboard on how many ICU beds and hospital beds are available. That dashboard will be available soon.
Have any healthcare workers at local hospitals tested positive for COVID-19?
Yes, in our community there have been healthcare workers that have tested positive. We can’t comment on a particular institution.
That work force is at a higher risk because by trade, they’re seeing a lot of individuals that have the illness. I don’t have the number of how many.
Do I need to wear a mask in public?
No. We’ve been trying to educate people that we do not believe there is a need at this point for them to wear masks.
When I recommend it is if I have a respiratory illness. And when I cough, sneeze or talk, those droplets will be stopped by the bandanna, and I will be less likely to expose other people around me.
This story was originally published March 30, 2020 at 6:16 PM.
