MedStar crews break single-day record for treating potential COVID-19 patients
Another COVID-19 record was set on Monday in North Texas: MedStar crews treated 115 patients with potential coronavirus symptoms, and 98 of those were taken to area hospitals, the highest number of patients treated on a single day.
The previous record was 111 patients treated on Nov. 18 by MedStar crews.
The crews on Monday treated 115 patients who had a history of potential COVID-19, that increased from 68 patients treated on Sunday, according to MedStar statistics.
MedStar provides ambulance service to Fort Worth and 14 other member cities in North Central Texas. Those cities include Blue Mound, Burleson, Edgecliff Village, Forest Hill, Haltom City, Haslet, Lakeside, Lake Worth, River Oaks, Saginaw, Sansom Park, Westover Hills, Westworth Village and White Settlement.
MedStar provides service to 436 square miles and more than 1 million residents and responds to over 150,000 calls a year with a fleet of 65 ambulances.
For December, MedStar is averaging about 88 patients per day, and that number could increase because of the holiday season, authorities have said.
Tarrant County reported 1,850 new coronavirus cases and 11 deaths on Monday.
It’s the third highest single-day total of the pandemic and most deaths since 13 were reported on Sept. 19. The county has reported at least 1,300 cases each day in December.
COVID-19 hospitalizations were at 23% of the 3,725 occupied beds in Tarrant County as of Sunday. The rate was at a pandemic high 24% on Nov. 30.
As of Sunday, 75% of the county’s hospital beds were in use, according to county data. The pandemic high of 82% was set on Wednesday. There are currently 1,236 available beds in the county. A pandemic low of 906 available beds was reported Wednesday.
Confirmed COVID-19 patients are filling 18% of all available beds in the county as of Sunday. That matches the pandemic high of 18% on Wednesday.
The COVID-19 hospitalization rate in the 19-county North Texas Trauma Area was at 15.9% on Monday. The rate had been below 15% the previous two days. Gov. Greg Abbott has mandated that if a region’s hospital capacity exceeds 15% for seven consecutive days, bars must close and other businesses must reduce their capacity to 50% until the hospitalization rate falls below 15% for seven consecutive days. The region recorded seven consecutive days above the threshold on Thursday.
This report contains information from Star-Telegram archives.
This story was originally published December 8, 2020 at 11:18 AM.
