Dallas County added another 1,129 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Tuesday along with 16 more deaths attributed to the virus. Meanwhile, county officials warn that hospitalizations for COVID-19 are record highs in the county, while ICU availability is low.
County health officials said there were 1,018 COVID-19 patients in acute care at Dallas County hospitals as of Monday.
“The number of hospitals is the all-time high and the availability of ICU beds in the region is minimal,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Tuesday. “Currently one in four people hospitalized in Dallas County has COVID-19 and approximately 30% of those hospitalized in the region have COVID-19.”
Jenkins added that the new record high “is not a surprise based on modeling. While these high figures are predictable, they can also be prevented. Changing individual behavior and precautionary actions can slow the increase. Hospitals they are our last line of defense and we end up with staffed beds to care for our sickest patients. “
In Dallas County, only 16 ICU beds remained. Across the region, Dallas Fort Worth Hospital Council reported only 58 in its 19 counties.
President and CEO Stephen Love said many hospitals have already enacted increase plans by opening additional COVID units.
He said others have the ability to increase space once capacity is met, reusing surgical and recovery spaces.
He said the biggest problem will be the number of doctors and nurses available to care for an increase in patients.
“The state has done everything possible to help us. But with this high volume, the staff will be a real problem.
“The state has done everything possible to help us. But with this high volume, the staff will be a real problem,” Love said. “Our staff, those clinical heroes of health, have been this March. They are tired. They are tired. They are worn out. So, the more volume you have, the more you will continue to strive for this current staff ”.
Both he and Jenkins urged people to stay home on New Year’s Eve, avoiding meetings with anyone outside their home.
“Don’t lower your guard. Please we all work together. And next year, we will be able to celebrate big holidays for the holidays, ”Love said.
Of the cases reported Monday, the county said 882 were confirmed cases and 247 were probable cases (antigen test), bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county in March to 168,782 and the number of probable cases. (antigen test) at 20,470. The total number of confirmed and probable cases in the county is now 189,252. Over the past seven days, Dallas County officials have confirmed 12,346 confirmed and probable cases of the virus.
Among the last 16 victims are an 18-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman, both from Garland; a fifty-year-old woman from Mesquite; an eighty-year-old man from Richardson; a 70-year-old man from Hutchins; a 60-year-old man from Carrollton; 10 people in Dallas whose ages ranged from 30 to 80. All victims other than the Garland woman and an 80-year-old Dallas woman had underlying health risks, including the adolescent.
County officials said Tuesday there were 1,596 deaths in the county attributed to the virus. In the summer, Dr. Philip Huang, director of the Dallas County Department of Health and Human Services, said COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death in the county behind heart disease and cancer.
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The county said the 7-day provisional average for new confirmed and probable cases by CDC week 50 evidence collection date was 1,722, representing a rate of 65.3 new cases per day for each case. 100,000 residents.
In the past 30 days, there have been 5,971 cases of COVID-19 in children and school-age staff from more than 756 separate K-12 schools in Dallas County, including 569 staff members. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 21 school nurses have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Jenkins on Monday issued a warning to those planning traditional meetings on New Year’s Eve, urging them to reconsider their plans and take precautions against the spread of the virus.
“To help our health heroes help you, make smart decisions and follow doctors’ advice during the New Year’s season. Wear the mask when you’re close to people you don’t live with and avoid crowds and meetings. “We all need to think of ways to celebrate the New Year that are safe, not just for us, but for those who will inevitably catch the virus from the people who contract it this New Year,” Jenkins said. “Maybe it’s not you, but your grandmother or the grandmother of someone else who pays a lot for your decision to celebrate a traditional New Year celebration. Please help make the small sacrifice of patriotism to keep our community and our strong country even anyone who wants the vaccine can get it and can have their chance to protect them from the virus. “