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COVID-19 updates: Dallas, Tarrant Counties both report more than 3,000 cases

Gov. Greg Abbott announced two new COVID-19 infusion therapeutic centers in Fort Worth and Irving will begin accepting patients Monday.

Dallas County set a new record-high in daily coronavirus cases Saturday as health officials reported 3,194 cases. Ten more deaths were also confirmed. 

Of the 3,194 cases reported, 2,293 are confirmed and 901 are probable, according to Judge Clay Jenkins. 

Tarrant County also reported 3,110 new cases and eight deaths Saturday.

The latest victims in Dallas County to die range from a Cedar Hill man in his 60s to a Dallas woman in her 90s. All of the people had underlying health conditions, according to officials. 

According to Jenkins, the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center's modeling predicts that hospitalizations will reach the range of 1,150 to 1,870 COVID-19 patients by Jan. 19 and daily cases as high as 3,500.

Dally County's new record-high comes just a few days before the county is expected to open its newest vaccination site. A mega-site at Fair Park is set to open on Monday. 

Vaccine mega centers are also in the works for Ellis Davis Field House and Eastfield College.  

"Please be patient in that Dallas County only has a little over 6,000 vaccines from the State to distribute this week and there are over 123,000 people who have already signed up on the website," Jenkins said in a Tweet.

For a daily roundup of the latest news from around North Texas and beyond, sign up for the WFAA email newsletter. 

RELATED: Fair Park in Dallas will serve as a mega-site for COVID-19 vaccinations

Gov. Abbott announces 2 antibody therapy centers in North Texas

Gov. Greg Abbott's office announced Saturday that the Texas Division of Emergency Management has established two new COVID-19 therapeutic infusion centers in North Texas. 

The new infusion centers are located in Fort Worth and Irving and will begin accepting patients Monday. 

Abbott's office said the centers have been provided with Regeneron's monoclonal antibodies and bamlanivimab to treat outpatient cases of COVID-19. 

The patients must meet certain criteria and have a referral from a hospital or doctor, according to the governor's office. 

Centers are already been established in El Paso, Laredo, Harlingen, and Austin. 

"Increasing access to COVID-19 therapeutic treatments is a proven strategy to reduce hospitalizations and save lives," Abbott said in a written statement.

Denton County reports 5 deaths, 399 cases

Denton County Public Health announced five more residents died from COVID-19, bringing the total to 233 deaths since tracking began in March. 

The deaths include three residents at Vista Ridge Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lewisville, and two Flower Mound residents. 

Health officials also announced 399 newly confirmed COVID-19 case. The case count is now 43,107. 

“As we move forward with vaccines, we must all continue to do our part in protecting ourselves and others with masks, distancing, and handwashing," said Denton County Judge Andy Eads. 

DCPH is providing free drive-thru COVID-19 testing on Tuesday, Jan. 12 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.  

More than 3,000 Tarrant County residents have tested positive for coronavirus

Eight more residents have died and 3,110 additional people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Tarrant County, according to health officials.  

This brings the county's total confirmed case count to 150,990 since tracking began in March. 

The county has not updated its total coronavirus related-hospitalization count on its public dashboard. The dashboard shows there are currently 1,524 patients in the hospital due to COVID-19. This is the same number reported Thursday. 

The record-high was confirmed earlier this week when 1,528 people were reported Wednesday. 

On Friday, Tarrant County Public Health added 127 additional COVID-19 deaths to the county's total that occurred between October and December.

County officials said the backlog happened because health leaders are now using new death certificate information from the Texas Department of State Health Services to find additional deaths of Tarrant County residents.

More space in Austin for hospitalized virus patients

Officials in Austin and Travis County are working to open space in the Austin Convention Center to care for COVID-19 patients as hospitalizations in Texas set record highs. 

Texas health officials on Friday reported 13,921 COVID patients statewide, the 12th consecutive daily record.

The Alternate Care Site in Austin announced Saturday was established during a summer surge of the coronavirus but has not yet taken patients. 

It will hold patients who do not need high-level or intensive care as those patients will remain in hospitals. 

As of Friday, there have been more than 1.9 million virus cases and 29,310 deaths since the pandemic began.

The Associated Press contributed to this report. 

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