Five more coronavirus deaths in Tarrant County; only two had underlying health issues
Tarrant County confirmed five more coronavirus-related deaths on Tuesday to bring its total to 18.
The ages range between 47 and 88, including two residents of Fort Worth and one each from Grand Prairie, Haltom City and River Oaks. All had been hospitalized locally.
Only two of the deceased patients had underlying health conditions.
“It is very unfortunate and disheartening for our community to see the death toll rising from COVID-19,” Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in a news release. “These are difficult times for all of us; and particularly for the families and friends of those we have lost to this disease. Our hearts go out to them.”
There have been 19 COVID-19 deaths in Dallas County, seven in Denton County, four in Collin County and one in Johnson County as of 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Taneja urged residents to strictly follow the executive orders issued by County Judge Glen Whitley to limit movement to essential activities, stay home as much as possible and maintain social distancing.
“Based on all the reports we are seeing, we could very well be about to see a spike in COVID-19 activity in our county,” he said. “Although it is difficult to predict, we must do everything we can to prepare ourselves for what may be ahead. Early indications are that we could be looking at significant numbers of positive cases and many more deaths.”
As of Tuesday afternoon, Tarrant County had 517 known positive coronavirus cases, an increase of 65 from Monday’s report. The total includes 53 recoveries and 18 deaths.
Fort Worth had 196 of those cases, including 17 recoveries and seven deaths. Arlington had 86 cases, including seven recoveries and three deaths.
“This is not the time to be complacent. We can get through this, but only if everyone does their part and follows the guidelines without exception,” Taneja said.
This story was originally published April 7, 2020 at 11:32 AM.
