The Tarrant County Public Health Department confirms 1,455 new cases of COVID-19 Friday along with another 20 new deaths -- the second-highest number of deaths reported in a day since the pandemic began.
The deceased included a woman from Fort Worth in her 90s, two men and woman from Mansfield in their 80s, a woman from Grand Prairie in her 80s, a man from Arlington in his 80s, a man and two women from Fort Worth in their 80s, a woman from Benbrook in her 80s, a man from Arlington in his 70s, a man from Mansfield in his 70s, a man from North Richland Hills in his 70s, a woman from Crowley in her 70s, a woman from Watauga in her 60s, a man from Mansfield in his 60s, a man from Arlington in his 60s a woman from Hurst in her 50s, a man from Fort Worth in his 50s, and a woman from Fort Worth in her 20s. All but one had underlying health conditions.
The number of deaths reported Friday -- 20 -- is the second-highest number reported in a day since the beginning of the pandemic. The highest death count reported in a day was 22 on Aug. 22, according to county reports.
In the last seven days, the county has announced 9,753 new cases of the virus. Of the 1,455 additional cases reported Friday, data from the county health department indicates there are 1,277 more confirmed cases than the most recent report and 178 more probable cases.
Tarrant County, which extended its mask mandate until Feb. 28, 2021, last month, began reporting both probable and confirmed cases of COVID-19 in August 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.
To date, the county has reported 103,113 confirmed cases of the virus and 13,818 probable cases for a total of 116,931 cases.
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The county is also reporting another 1,380 estimated recoveries, bringing the total number of survivors to 84,318.
Of the county's cases, 71% of those who have died were over the age of 65 even though they only make up 10% of the cases. Those aged 25 to 44 make up the largest percentage of people with COVID-19 at 36%.
The health department reports 919 COVID-19 patients are currently occupying hospital beds in the county on Friday. TCPH data shows 336 of 395 available ventilators in use, it's not clear how many are in use by COVID-19 patients.
With 947 deaths now attributed to the virus, COVID-19 is now projected to be the third-leading killer of Tarrant County residents behind cancer and heart disease and is expected to surpass the annual total for stroke later this year.
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.
