FORT WORTH, Texas — This story will be updated throughout the day as new information is released.
One day after Tarrant County Public Health reported 36 coronavirus-related deaths, county health officials announced 20 more on Wednesday.
A total of 71 coronavirus-related deaths have been reported by county officials since Monday of this week.
The latest victims to die range in age from a Fort Worth woman in her 40s to a Benbrook man in his 90s. Officials said all but one of the victims had underlying health conditions.
Just one day ago, Tarrant County reported the death of a boy under the age of 10, while Dallas County confirmed the death of a pregnant woman in her 20s who had underlying health conditions.
The county also reported 1,311 new cases Wednesday and 893 patients hospitalized due to coronavirus. This is an improvement compared to one month ago when 1,474 hospitalizations were reported, according to the county's dashboard.
In an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, The White House announced Wednesday that it is opening three new major vaccination sites across Texas starting the week of Feb. 22. One of the sites will be in Tarrant County at the AT&T Stadium.
"We're talking about probably 3,000 extra vaccines per day here at the Arlington site. And that's 21,000 a week that we weren't going to get. That’s a lot. So we're very excited," said Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley.
Dallas County's site at Fair Park and Houston's will be at NRG Stadium.
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Dallas County hospitalizations hit lowest mark since late November
Dallas County health officials reported there are currently 761 people hospitalized with COVID-19.
This is the lowest it has been since Nov. 29.
There are also 37 new COVID-19 deaths, according to county officials. These range from a Dallas man in his 20s to an Irving woman in her 90s.
Health officials announced there are also 1,231 new cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, with 213 considered probable because they came from antigen tests.
There have now been 237,943 total cases in Dallas County since tracking began in March.
Denton County has eight ICU beds available
Denton County Public Health said there are currently eight ICU beds available in the county's hospitals.
This number has remained below 10 since Jan. 22.
Health officials also announced 726 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, up from 681 on Wednesday. There have now been 58,644 since tracking began in March.
Of the occupied ICU beds, COVID-19 patients make up 45% of them.
There were 15 new COVID-19 deaths, according to county officials.
These include:
- A Frisco woman over 80
- Two Lewisville men in his 70s
- A Lewisville woman over 80
- A Highland Village man in his 60s
- A Lewisville man in his 50s
- A man over 80 from an unincorporated northeast Denton County
- A Denton woman over 80
- A Denton woman over 80
- A Shady Shores man in his 50s
- A Denton man in his 60s
- A Denton woman in her 40s
- A Denton man in his 50s
- A Denton man in his 70
- A Denton woman over 80
Denton County Public Health said there are currently 166 people hospitalized with COVID-19.
Collin County hospitalizations below 400 for fifth straight day
Collin County currently has 380 COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Wednesday. This is up from 365 the previous day.
Collin County has now had five consecutive days with less than 400 people hospitalized with COVID-19.
The last time that happened was Dec. 9—13.
Health officials say COVID-19 patients make 14% of Collin County's total hospital bed capacity.
There were also 229 new COVID-19 cases in Collin County Wednesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. This is down from 510 on Tuesday.
Collin County is averaging 323 new cases in the past seven days.
Safety precautions will be taken during Ash Wednesday
The Catholic Diocese of Dallas has announced that Ash Wednesday, which is on Feb. 17, will look a little different this year due to the pandemic.
The Vatican notified Bishops around the world that ashes should be administered differently with safety precautions in place, the Diocese of Dallas said.
Next Wednesday, priests will say a prayer to bless the ashes and sprinkle them with holy water. The priest will then address those in attendance and will say these words one time, "Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return,” or “Repent, and believe in the Gospel."
The priest will then clean his hands, put on a face mask, and distribute the ashes to those who come forward, the Diocese said in a news release.
Church officials said instead of placing ashes on people's foreheads, the priest, deacon or minister will sprinkle ashes on the crown of the head without speaking.
Officials also said that Catholic churches around the Diocese of Dallas will hold Ash Wednesday services with coronavirus precautions in place. People should check with their church on service times.