Tarrant County Public Health on Sunday reported 794 additional cases of COVID-19 as well as the death of a Fort Worth resident.
Data from the county health department indicates that of the 794 additional cases reported Sunday, 683 cases are confirmed while the other 111 are probable.
“The 794 new cases today represents a very real and recent uptick in COVID-19 in our community as as a result of people being more socially active," Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said. "Most of these cases had illness starting within the last two weeks. The last four weeks we have seen a steady increase in our case counts."
With the exception of higher numbers that were a result of a backlog, it is the first time since Aug. 8 that the county has reported a single-day increase in the 700s, according to case count data.
“We need to continue to practice social distancing, wearing masks, avoiding large groups and washing our hands," Taneja said. "The virus is not gone and we need to protect ourselves at least until a vaccine is widely distributed.”
Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley said while the numbers rose, Sunday's count included backlogged cases and said at least 150 are from people who do not live in the county.
Despite the uptick, Whitley said hospitalizations were not climbing and all of this will factor into his decision whether or not to reopen bars. He also stressed that any decision he makes could easily be changed depending on the direction of cases.
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"What I hope and what I've stressed to the bar owners I've talked with if I make a decision to open things back up, I can shut it down the next day," Whitley said.
The county also reported one additional death Sunday, a Fort Worth woman in her 70s who had underlying conditions. The case brings the total deaths related to the coronavirus in Tarrant County to 693.
The county began reporting both probable and confirmed cases 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 50,933 confirmed cases of the virus and 4,431 probable cases for a total of 55,364 cases.
The county is also reporting another 242 estimated recoveries, bringing the total number of survivors to 46,691. There are currently an estimated 7,429 active cases in the county.
Of the county's cases, 71% 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 37%.
The health department reported that 375 COVID-19 patients are occupying hospital beds in the county — about 7% of capacity — as of Saturday. A month ago, on Sept. 10, COVID-19 patients occupied about 4% of Tarrant County hospital beds.
*Map locations are approximate, central locations for the city and are not meant to indicate where actual infected people live.
