Tarrant County reports 1,777 new COVID-19 cases, 7 deaths on Thursday
Tarrant County reported 1,777 new coronavirus cases and seven more deaths on Thursday, continuing a trend of surging case numbers that has alarmed public health officials ahead of Thanksgiving.
It’s the second-highest daily total the county has reported after Wednesday’s 2,112 new cases, and about 250 more cases than the next highest daily total of 1,525, set on Nov. 9.
The seven people whose deaths were announced on Thursday include three Arlington residents, including a woman in her 30s, and four Fort Worth residents, officials said in a news release. Six had underlying health conditions.
After peaks in July and August, COVID cases began trending downward in early September, data from the public health department shows. But cases have been rising sharply since early October, leading to the roughly 8,400 confirmed or probable cases reported between Nov. 8 and Nov. 14 — the highest weekly total ever by almost 3,000. If Tarrant reports at least 1,500 cases on Friday and Saturday, it will beat that record.
The percentage of occupied hospital beds in Tarrant County that belong to COVID patients, as of Thursday, dropped slightly to 18% after it was around 20% between Sunday and Wednesday. As of Thursday, the county was reporting there were a total of 36 ICU beds available.
MedStar confirmed this week it moved five patients from a downtown Fort Worth hospital due to overcrowding, and that its ambulances were prepared to move more patients if necessary.
As cases have soared, Mayor Betsy Price announced on Wednesday she tested positive for the coronavirus after her husband returned a positive test.
Tarrant County has reported a total of 87,536 coronavirus cases and 818 deaths since the start of the pandemic.
The seven most recent COVID victims were from across Tarrant County, officials said on Thursday:
- A woman in her 30s from Arlington
- A man in his 50s from Fort Worth
- A woman in her 60s from Arlington
- A woman in her 60s from Fort Worth
- A woman in her 70s from Fort Worth
- A man in his 70s from Arlington
- A man in his 70s from Fort Worth
Tarrant County hospital capacity
Hospital capacity by available beds and ventilators for Tarrant County. Data provided by Tarrant County Public Health.
Texas COVID-19 cases over time
Texas daily coronavirus case counts over time, and the ten counties with the most cases. Tap the arrow button to replay the animation.
This story was originally published November 19, 2020 at 2:08 PM.
