The Public Health Department of Tarrant County confirms 5,991 new cases of COVID-19 months, along with another 18 new deaths. As of Sunday, TCPH also reports that nearly 1,200 people are hospitalized in the county with the virus and that the ICU occupancy rate is 96%.
In the last seven days, the county announced 11,410 new cases of virus or an average of 1,375 per day. The county health department did not report the data of the COVID-19 case on December 24-26. Of the 5,991 additional cases reported on Monday, data from the county health department indicate that there are 5,441 more confirmed cases than the most recent report and 550 more likely cases.
The latest 18 casualties included people from Arlington, Bedford, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Hurst and Richland Hills. Additional details are not yet available.
Tarrant County, which extended its term of office until February 28, 2021, last month, began reporting both probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 in August, at the request of the state health department. The probable cases, the county said, represent a variety of real-world situations and could highlight cases in the community that might otherwise go unreported. So far, the county has reported 125,947 confirmed cases of the virus and 18,054 probable cases for a total of 144,001 cases.
By Sunday, the health department reported 1,175 patients with COVID-19 occupying hospital beds in the county, which represents almost 26% of the county’s capacity. TCPH reported that 82% of the beds are occupied in the county and 96% of the ICU beds are occupied in the county.
The county also reports another 4,420 estimated recoveries, bringing the total number of survivors to 105,531. Currently, there are approximately 37,045 active cases in the county, most of any county in North Texas.
With 1,425 deaths now attributed to the virus, COVID-19 is now projected to be the third killer of Tarrant County residents behind cancer and heart disease and is expected to exceed its annual total for stroke later this year.
COVID-19 causes a respiratory illness with cough, fever and difficulty breathing and can lead to bronchitis, severe pneumonia or even death. For more information, visit coronavirus.tarrantcounty.com or call the Tarrant County Public Health Information Line, 817-248-6299, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.