Five more people have died after contracting COVID-19 in Tarrant County, that's according to the county health department who is also announcing additional 474 new infections Friday along with more than 700 hospitalizations.
The county added six new deaths on Friday, including a man in his 70s from Grand Prairie, a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 60s and a woman in her 80s, all from Fort Worth; and a woman in her 50s from Arlington. All had underlying health conditions.
The addition of the latest cases brings the total number of infections in Tarrant County to 20,907 since testing began in March. The county's 7-day average through Friday is 510 cases per day, up from 175 per day a month ago.
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The county is also reporting 152 recoveries Friday, bringing the total number of survivors to 10,070. There are currently an estimated 10,549 active cases in the county.
As of Friday, the county reported: 1,727 available hospital beds, the same number available since Wednesday; of the 10,549 active cases, 708 of those people are hospitalized, 35 more than Thursday.
According to health department data, ventilator occupancy is down 1% Friday from Thursday's high of 43%. Last Friday ventilator occupancy was at 33%.
Of the county's cases, 67% of those who have died were over the age of 65. Those aged 25 to 44 make up the largest percentage of people with COVID-19 at 40%.
The rise in cases comes as the state's positivity rate, the percentage of people testing positive for the virus, has been sustained well over 10% since June 23 and swelled to a record high of 16.89% on Monday. An increase in the positivity rate indicates an increase in the spread of the virus, not an increase in testing for the virus.
