The Tarrant County Department of Public Health on Monday confirmed 5,991 new cases of COVID-19, along with 18 other deaths. As of Sunday, TCPH also reports that about 1,200 people are hospitalized in the county with the virus and that the ICU employment rate is 96%.
In the last seven days, the county has announced 11,410 new cases of viruses or an average of 1,375 per day. The county health department did not report data from the COVID-19 case from Dec. 24-26. Of the 5,991 additional cases reported Monday, county health department data indicate there are 5,441 more confirmed cases than the most recent report and 550 most likely cases.
The last 18 casualties included people in Arlington, Bedford, Fort Worth, Haltom City, Hurst and Richland Hills. No further details are available yet.
Tarrant County, which extended its mask mandate until Feb. 28, 2021, last month, began reporting probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 in August at the request of the state health department. Probable cases, according to the county, explain various real-world situations and could reveal community cases that might not otherwise be reported. To date, the county has reported 125,947 confirmed cases of the virus and 18,054 probable cases for a total of 144,001 cases.
The health department reported as of Sunday that 1,175 COVID-19 patients were occupying hospital beds in the county, representing nearly 26 percent of the county’s capacity. TCPH reported that 82% of beds are occupied in the county and 96% of ICU beds are occupied in the county.
The county also reports an estimated 4,420 recoveries, bringing the total number of survivors to 105,531. There are currently an estimated 37,045 active cases in the county, most counties in North Texas.
With 1,425 deaths now attributed to the virus, COVID-19 is expected to be the third killer of Tarrant County residents behind cancer and heart disease and is expected to surpass the annual total stroke later this year. .
COVID-19 causes respiratory illness with cough, fever, and difficulty breathing and can cause bronchitis, severe pneumonia, or even death. For more information, visit coronavirus.tarrantcounty.com or call the Tarrant County Public Health Information Line at 817-248-6299, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.