Tarrant County’s COVID spread level drops as cases and hospitalizations decline
Tarrant County has reduced the level COVID-19 spread to “substantial” as cases hit a sharp decline.
Vinny Taneja, Tarrant’s public health director, told commissioners at their Tuesday meeting that cases, hospitalizations and deaths were down across the county. The spread had increased from “substantial” to “high” in July as the delta variant surged through unvaccinated residents.
Tarrant has recorded more than 366,000 cases since the start of the pandemic and nearly 4,800 deaths. As of Oct. 31, most new cases were among those 25 to 44, followed by those younger than 15.
The county classifies its community spread in four levels — high, substantial, moderate and low. The classifications are based on new cases per 100,000 and percentage of positive tests over seven days. Substantial spread means there’s between 50 to 99.9 new cases per 100,000 residents and an 8% to 9.99% positivity rate for tests.
The reclassification of the county’s spread level comes shortly after Pfizer vaccines were authorized for children 5 to 11 and booster shots were cleared for all vaccine types. The focus across the county has not only been about pushing vaccines, but also making sure residents receive their flu shots.
In October, some health officials said they believed the worst of the pandemic might be over, but that it would depend on vaccination rates.
This story was originally published November 10, 2021 at 12:43 PM.
