New COVID-19 cases may have peaked in North Texas within the last week, according to the latest report from UT Southwestern Medical Center.
The same report also shows the record number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients is expected to increase in the near term.
“The number of people hospitalized for COVID-19 in Dallas has exceeded all prior peaks,” the researchers noted in their latest report released on Monday. “Hospitalizations across North Texas are at record levels. Hospitalizations in Dallas and Tarrant Counties are projected to continue to increase in the near term, putting a severe strain on local health systems and leading to increased wait times in emergency rooms.”
The researchers attribute the projected drop in new COVID-19 cases to “recent increases in masking and decreases in mobility,” according to the report.
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On Tuesday, Dallas County Medical Director Dr. Philip Huang told Dallas County commissioners that his office has noted that new suspected or confirmed COVID-19 visits to the Parkland Memorial Hospital emergency department have declined slightly within the last week.
“But I want to remind, also, as we look at this that these levels that we are seeing are still at record highs compared to the entire pandemic,” Dr. Huang said. “So although this is good news, and this is what we need to start seeing to get to where we want to be, it is not a cause for saying we can just relax and go back to normal.”
