This article will be updated throughout the day as new information is released.
Tarrant County health officials reported 919 COVID-19 hospitalizations Friday, a new county record.
The previous record happened the day before on Thursday when 898 people were hospitalized.
The county is averaging 870 hospitalizations the past 14 days, also a county record.
Local officials added 1,455 new COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total case count to 116,931 since tracking began in March.
Tarrant County also reported 20 new COVID-19 deaths.
These deaths included a Fort Worth woman in her 90s, two Mansfield men and a woman in their 80s, a Grand Prairie woman in her 80s, an Arlington man in his 80s, a Fort Worth man and two women in their 80s, a Benbrook woman in her 80s, an Arlington man in his 70s, a Mansfield man in his 70s, a North Richland Hills man in his 70s, a Crowley woman in her 70s, a Watauga woman in her 60s, a Mansfield man in his 60s, an Arlington man in his 60s, a Hurst woman in her 50s, a Fort Worth man in his 50s, and a Fort Worth woman in her 20s.
All but one had underlying health conditions.
Tarrant County now has 947 total confirmed COVID-19 deaths.
Dallas County adds more than 1,800 cases
Dallas County health officials reported 1,849 new COVID-19 cases Friday, bringing the total count to 141,303 since tracking began in March.
Of these 1,849 cases, 496 came from antigen tests and are considered probable.
Dallas County also added 20 new COVID-19 deaths.
The deaths include a Cedar Hill man in his 40s, a Dallas woman in her 40s, a Mesquite woman in her 50s, a Grand Prairie woman in her 50s, two Dallas women in their 50s, two Dallas men and a woman in their 60s, a DeSoto man in his 60s, a Mesquite man in his 70s, two Dallas men in their 70s, a Dallas woman and a man in their 80s, a Farmers Branch man in his 80s, a DeSoto man in his 80s, a Dallas man and a woman in their 90s and a Mesquite woman in her 90s.
All had underlying high-risk health conditions.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins says this is the county's deadliest week of COVID-19 so far.
"It’s not just about protecting the people that we can see, it’s about protecting the people who will get the virus from our outbreak and pay a heavy toll, Jenkins said.
Multiple schools suspend in-person learning due to staffing shortages
Two school districts in North Texas have suspended in-person learning through Jan. 5 due to COVID-19.
McKinney Independent School District closed Reuben Johnson Elementary Thursday due to high cases among staff, officials said.
"Over one-third of RJE teachers and staff have tested positive, are presumed positive, or are quarantined due to COVID-19," the school district said in a letter sent to parents.
Citing staffing concerns, Palmer ISD also said schools will conduct online learning only through Dec. 18.
The school district will continue to have drive-thru meals from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. at Palmer Elementary through next Friday.
Students in both districts will be allowed to resume in-person learning after winter break on Jan. 5.
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Tarrant County gets trucks to hold bodies amid COVID-19 surge
A North Texas medical examiner’s office has brought in two refrigerated trucks to store bodies amid a surge in coronavirus cases.
Nizam Peerwani, Tarrant County’s chief medical examiner, says many of the hospitals and larger funeral homes in the Fort Worth area have reached their storage capacity or will soon.
The Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office usually has a capacity of 100 bodies. The office said each truck can store 50 bodies.
State Health officials take back more than 1,000 cases in Lamar County
State health officials took away 1,228 COVID-19 cases from Lamar County on Tuesday.
On Monday, Lamar County had 2,787 cases. That number was reduced to 1,559 the following day.
This reduction happened due to the county previously including probable cases in its confirmed cases, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Lamar County added 21 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday.
Johnson County seeing spike of COVID-19 cases in December
Johnson County had 110 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Since Dec. 1, the county has had an average of 155 daily cases during that 11-day stretch. This is a Johnson County record.
The previous record 11-day average happened from Nov. 17–27 when the county had 84 cases a day.
The single-day record in Johnson County happened on Dec. 2 when there were 510 new COVID-19 cases.
Collin County has most COVID-19 deaths in the past month
Collin County has had the most confirmed COVID-19 deaths in the past month since tracking began in March.
From Nov. 9 to Dec. 9, Collin County had 61 reported deaths, coming out to an average of 2 deaths a day.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.