Cases of COVID-19 continue to fall in Tarrant County, along with deaths associated with the disease.
Cases of COVID-19 continue to fall in Tarrant County, along with deaths associated with the disease.
The county's seven-day average of new COVID-19 cases was 545 as of Monday, down from a high of 2,960 on Jan. 8. Meanwhile, the seven-day average of coronavirus-related deaths was 13 on Monday, down from a stretch in which it stayed about 30 for nine days.
According to the Tarrant County Public Health, COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped below 10% of total hospital capacity for the first time in months.
“For the vaccines that we have, we are getting them in the arms of those folks,” Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said.
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The county now has seven vaccination sites running and is optimistic it will receive more vaccine doses with the recent approval of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. Since the start of vaccinations, 314,240 people have been inoculated in Tarrant County.
Whitley said the objective in weeks to come is to administer as many as 25,000 vaccines a day.
But despite the optimistic recent numbers, Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said the prospect of people gathering over spring break, combined with fewer people wearing masks, could cause another rise in cases.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday announced all COVID-19-related safety protocols would end Wednesday, March 10.
“Have we not seen this before? we have a peak, a downtrend and then it surges again. So until we put COVID away for good, I think all the public health measures, including wearing a mask, social distancing, washing of the hands -- need to be done together with getting vaccinated when your time comes,” Taneja said.
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.
