Tarrant County Public Health added more than three dozen additional COVID-19 deaths Friday along with nearly 1,900 more cases of the virus.
Of the deaths, TCPH said 12 are from December and 26 are from January. The December deaths are only now being added after receiving new death certificate data from the state health department, which the county said recently they would receive every Friday while warning of higher than average numbers.
The 38 latest victims of the virus include 11 people from Fort Worth, seven from Arlington, four from North Richland Hills, two from Benbrook, Hurst and Mansfield, and one each from Azle, Bedford, Blue Mound, Crowley, Edgecliff Village, Euless, Forest Hill, River Oaks, Watauga and White Settlement. All but four had underlying health conditions.
Tarrant County Public Health said there were 1,350 COVID-19 patients in county hospitals through Thursday, 79 fewer patients than through Tuesday, and that the 7-day average for COVID-19 patients was at 1,433. The number of hospitalized patients remains down from the high of 1,528 patients reached Jan. 6 and is the lowest it's been this year.
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Tarrant County is also reporting Friday that total hospital occupancy in county hospitals is at 90% while ICU occupancy is at 95% through Thursday. Beds occupied by COVID-19 patients account for 27% of all patients in Tarrant County and for 22.31% of all patients in TSA-E.
In the last seven days, the county has announced 15,311 new and probable cases of the virus or an average of 2,187 per day. Data from the county health department indicated there were 1,480 more confirmed cases than the most recent report and 384 more probable cases. To date, the county has reported 175,778 confirmed cases of the virus and 27,396 probable cases for a total of 203,174 cases.
On Wednesday the county said they and the Arlington Fire Department hub vaccine locations have administered 47,754 vaccinations through Tuesday. Updated vaccination numbers are expected weekly.
Want to Get on a Vaccine Waitlist?
County health departments have launched waitlists for adults 16 years old and over.
You can register to recieve the vaccination in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. Links are below:
Waitlist Links: Collin - Search Waitlist | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
You do not need to be a resident of the county to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in that county -- registration is open to anyone in Texas. For those without internet access, Tarrant County is also taking registrations by phone at 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS vaccine hotline at 1-855-IMMUNE9 (1-855-466-8639). In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.
For a more detailed breakdown of who is included in each priority group in Texas, see this page from the Texas DSHS.
The county is also reporting another 2,292 estimated recoveries, bringing the total number of survivors to 148,341.
There are currently an estimated 52,842 active cases of the virus and 1,991 deaths from the virus in the county since March 2020, the most of any North Texas county for both categories.
COVID-19 Latest
Tarrant County, which has extended its mask mandate until Feb. 28, 2021, began reporting both probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 in August 2020 at the request of the state health department. Probable cases, the county said, account for a variety of real-world situations and could highlight cases in the community that may otherwise go unreported.
COVID-19 causes a respiratory illness with cough, fever and shortness of breath and may lead to bronchitis, severe pneumonia or even death. For more information go to coronavirus.tarrantcounty.com or call the Tarrant County Public Health information line, 817-248-6299, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
