Tarrant County on Tuesday reported 12 COVID-19 deaths and 804 new cases, making it the fourth consecutive day that the county has reported over 10 COVID-related deaths within a day.
According to health officials, the growing list of COVID-related deaths was recently updated after the passing of a Fort Worth woman in her 20s, an Arlington woman in her 20s, an Arlington man in his 40s, a White Settlement woman in her 40s, an Arlington man in his 50s, a Fort Worth man in his 50s, an Arlington man in his 70s, two Fort Worth men and two women in their 70s, and a North Richland Hills man older than 90.
The officials said that all of the recent victims of the pandemic had underlying conditions which resulted in complications and eventual demise, Star Telegram reported.
The county has so far reported a total of 304,310 COVID-19 cases.
According to state health officials, the latest deaths brought the four-day total number of pandemic-related deaths to 69, which has been the highest on record since February. Hospitalizations in the county remained at 24% of the total beds in Tarrant County. It makes up 27% of the 4,103 occupied beds, which is still lower than the record pandemic-high of 38% on Jan. 10.
Nevertheless, there has been an increase in confirmed COVID-19 patients from 20.10% to 24.31% of all available hospital beds in the North Central Texas Trauma Region, which includes 45 counties (divided into three regions). It’s the highest rate on record since January 14, when it hit 24.45%.
Even the number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients has seen a steady increase since June 19. Right now, it has climbed up to 1,100, from the original nine. The pandemic high record, on the other hand, was 1,528 on Jan. 6.
Tarrant County also recorded an increase in hospital bed occupancy, from 87% to 88%, resulting in decreased availability to 541. In terms of ICU beds, Adult ICU bed occupancy had seen an increase from 94% to 96%, though ventilator use has decreased by 32.
As far as vaccination is concerned, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) reported that 63.6% of Tarrant County residents who are 12 years old or older have received at least one dose of the vaccine, while about 54.4% of residents of the same age have already been fully vaccinated.
DSHS also reports that 85.95% of Tarrant County’s elderly residents, aged 65 and up, have received at least one dose, and 78.96% of residents 65 or older have been fully vaccinated.
Nevertheless, free COVID-19 vaccines and testing are still being offered at various locations throughout the county.
