Tarrant County reports downward trend in COVID data, but West Nile on the rise
As schools in Tarrant County prepare to open, key coronavirus data continue to trend downward.
Vinny Taneja, the county’s public health director, told county commissioners on Tuesday that COVID-19 hospitalization percentage, cases per week and the seven-day positivity rate are trending down. The county has reported more 30,000 coronavirus cases and more 400 COVID-19 deaths.
The percentage of hospital patients with COVID has fallen from 20% about a month ago to 13%, Taneja said.
He said the numbers are dropping because people are “religiously” wearing masks and following safety guidelines such as maintaining social distance and staying home as much as possible.
“We’re doing good things in Tarrant County and as a community, we need to continue to do those things,” he said.
But Taneja warned that the county is still not out of the woods. The number of weekly cases combined with a seven-day positivity rate of 11% puts the county in the “red zone,” according to White House criteria, he said.
The state’s positivity rate is at 20.99%.
“We’re not on an island,” he said after the meeting. “Tarrant County is a big part of Texas.”
SCHOOLS REOPENING
Public Health officials have been working closely to make sure schools can reopen as safely as possible, he said. He’s hopeful that schools will follow his department’s safety guidelines.
And while it’s inevitable cases will pop up in schools, Taneja said outbreaks can be avoided if they follow safety guidelines, such as requiring the wearing of masks, following social distancing and conducting temperature checks.
“As you can see, when everybody wears a mask, we’ve been able to break the trend and push it down,” he said.
WEST NILE
Taneja wants the public to take action regarding the West Nile virus.
Taneja said 40% of the mosquito pools tested by the county are positive for the virus. It’s 60% in Northeast Tarrant County. The county’s positivity rate is up 10% from last week.
The first death West Nile in Tarrant County was reported July 21. Taneja warned that West Nile can lead to long-lasting neurological effects.
Taneja said residents should spray their yards for mosquitoes, get rid of standing water and use mosquito repellent.
This story was originally published August 11, 2020 at 4:31 PM.
