Tarrant County reports massive record for COVID cases, rising hospitalizations Monday
Tarrant County reported a record 1,525 new coronavirus cases on Monday, the fourth time in the past five days officials have announced single-day highs. The county reported no new deaths on Monday.
The county reported single-day new case records on three consecutive days: Thursday (938), Friday (952) and Saturday (1,062) before cases dropped to 456 on Sunday.
COVID-19 hospitalizations also increased to 15% of the 3,772 occupied beds in the county as of Sunday. That rate was last at 15% on Oct. 27 before dipping down to as low as 13% four days ago. The county reported a pandemic high of 20% COVID hospitalizations among occupied beds on July 23. Since dropping to 7% on Sept. 21, the rate has steadily increased.
Confirmed COVID-19 patients occupied 11% of all available beds in the county as of Sunday. That rate is one that officials watch to determine if businesses should continue to operate at current capacities. Gov. Greg Abbott has said in regions where that rate rises above 15%, businesses may need to reduce capacity.
Tarrant County has a total bed capacity of 5,059, and 3,722 of those beds, or about 74%, were occupied according to the most recent data on the county’s website.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley told the Star-Telegram that although cases are reaching record highs, hospital executives have told him they are comfortable with the number of beds they have available, so there is no need to worry yet.
Whitley pointed out that he believes this recent surge is due to schools going in-person rather than having bars open in the county. As of Monday afternoon, there is no plan to enact any new coronavirus orders. Currently, the county’s mask mandate runs through Nov. 30.
The increase in cases shows that more people are out in groups, not wearing masks or socially distancing enough, and the weather cooling down is driving people inside where social distancing is hard, said Brian Murnahan, the county’s public health spokesperson, in a statement.
“We encourage people to stay within their own family unit as much as possible and to be extra careful when out in public,” Murnahan said.
The county’s largest city, Fort Worth has had the most cases and deaths during this pandemic, and Mayor Betsy Price said the city will continue to work with county officials and determine the appropriate response that will help the community.
“It is important that all residents remain vigilant and continue to wear a mask, practice social distancing and stay home if experiencing any symptoms,” Price said.
The United States surpassed 10 million coronavirus infections on Monday. Texas leads the country with more than 960,000 confirmed cases as of Monday.
Tarrant County has reported a total of 75,161 cases, 763 deaths and an estimated 57,914 recoveries.
COVID-19 causes respiratory illness with cough, fever and shortness of breath and may lead to bronchitis and severe pneumonia. For more information go to coronavirus.tarrantcounty.com or call the Tarrant County Public Health information line, 817-248-6299.
Here are the total pandemic-related deaths in Tarrant County by city through Nov. 9:
- Fort Worth, 364
- Arlington, 139
- Mansfield, 29
- White Settlement, 28
- Grapevine, 22
- Keller, 21
- Azle, 20
- Bedford, 15
Benbrook, 15
Rural Tarrant County, 14
Grand Prairie, 13
Haltom City, 10
North Richland Hills, 9
Southlake, 9
Hurst, 8
Forest Hill, 7
Euless, 6
Lake Worth, 6
Richland Hills, 5
Watauga, 4
Crowley, 3
Kennedale, 3
Saginaw, 3
Sansom Park, 2
Unknown, 2
Blue Mound, 1
- Edgecliff Village, 1
- Lakeside, 1
- Pantego, 1
- River Oaks, 1
- Westworth Village, 1
Tarrant County hospital capacity
Hospital capacity by available beds and ventilators for Tarrant County. Data provided by Tarrant County Public Health.
This story was originally published November 9, 2020 at 2:04 PM.
