Tarrant County could outpace Dallas County in COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, study shows
Despite adopting the same preventive measures, Tarrant County’s COVID-19 hospitalizations are expected to rise by 20%, while Dallas County’s numbers are expected to stagnate.
That’s according to a new UT Southwestern report, which says Tarrant County will likely see daily case counts of 2,500 by Dec. 29, outpacing Dallas, which is expected to see 1,700.
Over the last two weeks, COVID-19 hospitalizations in Tarrant County have increased by 13% while Dallas County increased 4%.
So what’s the difference between the two counties?
“People are spending more time in bars,” said Mujeeb Basit, associate director of UT Southwestern’s clinical informatics center.
Basit said the packed bars in the Fort Worth Stockyards during the week of the National FInals Rodeo exacerbated the issue. Despite pleas from bar owners and thousands of dollars in campaigning for the city, some people refused to comply with the masking order.
Bars had to close on Dec. 4 after COVID-19 hospitalizations in the Dallas-Fort Worth area surpassed 15% for a week, This rollback was built in Gov. Greg Abbott’s executive order related to the reopening of businesses. But this didn’t account for the hundreds of bars that stayed open because they had a food license.
Basit also attributes the rise in cases to small gatherings among friends and family. Experts say small gatherings have caused spikes in cases around the country.
Dallas County residents have traveled less and done a better job of following safety guidelines than those in Tarrant County, according to the report.
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said the county hospitals are doing OK but urges residents to follow safety guidelines to avoid the situation becoming dire. Hospitalized COVID patients in the county increased to a pandemic-high 1,033 as of Thursday.
“The next six months are so important,” Stephen Love, the president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, said in a statement.
Although vaccines have arrived, it will take widespread adherence to safety protocols to stem the rise in cases and hospitalizations in the region, he said.
“While we are thankful for the vaccines, we have a long way to go to vaccinate the entire population, and we can’t let our guard down,” he said. “Let’s do our part to tamp down this infection. We must limit our holiday activities to minimize the spread of COVID-19.”
