This story will be updated throughout the day as new information is released.
Hospitalizations of patients with COVID-19 have reached an all-time high in Dallas, Denton, Collin, and Tarrant counties, officials said Tuesday.
“Our hospital numbers are at all-time highs, and our availability of ICU beds in the region is at an all-time low,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said.
In Tarrant County, the county's dashboard shows there are currently 1,323 patients hospitalized, which is an increase of 148 people compared to the day prior. And that set a record high for COVID-19 patients in the county.
Dallas County officials reported a total of 16 new deaths Tuesday, with victims that ranged from being in their 30s to 80s.
An 18-year-old Garland resident with chronic medical conditions is among the latest Dallas County victims to die from COVID-19, officials said.
Hospitalizations in the area also continue to increase. COVID-19 hospitalizations account for 23% of all patients in Dallas County, according to health officials.
As area hospitals report record-high amounts of patients, more people continue to contract coronavirus.
Health officials announced 1,129 new cases Tuesday, 882 are confirmed, and 247 are probable.
Students and staff are among those being infected with COVID-19. According to Dallas County officials, there have been 5,971 cases in school-aged children and staff in the past month.
The county has also seen cases within long-term living facilities and homeless shelters. There are currently 102 active, long-term care facility outbreaks, according to officials.
To slow the spread and help with hospital capacity, Jenkins and other local officials urge residents to avoid going out for New Year’s celebrations.
Hospitalizations are predicted to rise dramatically by next week, according to UT Southwestern.
"It’s up to all of us flatten the curve, so our hospitals do not get into a situation where care is less than optimal for our patient population," Jenkins said.
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Denton reports 8 deaths
Denton County Public Health said Tuesday eight more residents died from the novel coronavirus, bringing the total to 206 deaths due to COVID-19.
Tuesday’s reported deaths include:
- A Carrollton man in his 40s
- A man in his 50s who was a resident of unincorporated southeast Denton County
- A woman in her 60s who was a resident of unincorporated northeast Denton County
- A man in his 70s who was a resident of unincorporated northwest Denton County
- A woman in her 70s who was a resident of The Colony
- A man in his 80s who was a resident of Cedar Crest Senior Living in Lewisville
- A woman in her 80s who was a resident of Cedar Crest Senior Living in Lewisville
- A Lewisville woman in her 80s
“We are asking everyone to continue practicing the safety measures of wearing masks, social distancing, and washing hands, to slow the spread of COVID-19 within Denton County,” Denton County Judge Andy Eads said. “Please keep the families of these eight individuals in your thoughts and prayers.”
DCPH also announced 835 cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, of which 747 are active. This increase the countywide total to 38,094 COVID-19 cases. DCPH says at least 25,386 residents have recovered.
If you would like to get tested for COVID-19, DCPH will be hosting a free drive-thru testing center Tuesday, Jan. 5, at University of North Texas Discovery Park at 3940 N. Elm Street in Denton. Eligible community members must reside in Denton County, pre-register by calling 940-349-2585, and have not previously tested positive for COVID-19. Pre-registration is required with appointments starting at 8 a.m.
Hospitalizations reach record-high in Tarrant County
Tarrant County reported its highest number of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19 Tuesday afternoon.
According to the county's dashboard, there are currently 1,323 patients hospitalized, which is an increase of 148 people compared to the day prior.
The previous hospitalization record was reported Saturday with 1,209 patients.
Officials at the Commissioners Court meeting said one out of every five patients with coronavirus is in the ICU.
One month ago, Tarrant County had reported 855 hospitalized patients.
Cases between the 15-44 age group are at an all-time high. Health officials said 12% of all cases in Tarrant Court are under the age of 15.
In addition to the county's 1,278 new cases reported, health officials confirmed 23 more deaths.
The victims range from a Keller man in his 100s to Fort Worth man in his 30s.
Officials said three of the patients did not have any underlying health conditions.
Tarrant County now has 1,448 confirmed deaths since tracking began in March.
Collin County has more than 500 hospitalizations for second straight day
Collin County health officials reported Tuesday there are currently a record 539 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county's hospitals.
This comes one day after there were 518 hospitalizations, marking the first time there have been more than 500 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Collin County. The previous record-high happened on Dec. 25 when 475 people were hospitalized.
These COVID-19 patients make up 20% of the county's total hospital bed capacity. This percentage has remained above 15% in Collin County since Dec. 19.
Denton County has more than 200 hospitalizations for third straight day
Denton County health officials reported Tuesday there are currently a record 217 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county's hospitals.
The county had 204 COVID-19 hospitalizations on Monday and 202 on Sunday, marking the first time there have been more than 200 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Denton County.
Nurses across Texas fatigued
The Texas Nurses Association represents roughly 16,000 nurses statewide.
On Tuesday, after the new numbers were released, Practice Director for the Texas Nurses Association Serena Bumpus said that nurses, along with healthcare workers, are exhausted.
"We don't get into this profession to see the amount of death that we have seen since the start of the pandemic," Bumpus said.
"It causes a lot of stress, compassion fatigue, and it's hard for them to overcome that."
Bumpus has already seen some nurses retire or leave the profession early.
She fears that as cases rise, even with a vaccine being distributed, more nurses may exit.
"There are several who have told me that they're out when COVID is done. They're not leaving their team in a crisis, but they stressed they're not going to continue to do this anymore," Bumpus said.
In 2018, the Texas Center for Nursing Workforce studies found that the state's current supply of nurses did not meet demand marks (due to Texas' growing population).
At that time, there were 223,581 nurses when the state needed 251,367.
By 2032, the study predicted that the state's need for nurses might grow to 348,883 when the workforce could reasonably only hire possibly 291,872 by that time.
The disparity in that data worries Bumpus right now.
"I'm worried that those numbers may increase as a result of COVID, and the disease will take a toll on the profession as a whole," Bumpus said.
"We could be losing a lot of experience near the end of this."