This story will be regularly updated on Tuesday, Dec. 8, 2020.
Dallas County is reporting more than 1,105 new, confirmed positive cases of coronavirus Tuesday, continuing a streak of reporting more than 1,000 cases a day each day this month.
Dallas County officials said there were 766 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County as of Monday, Dec. 7. There were 428 emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County in the same time period, which accounts for about 20 percent of all emergency department visits in the county, according to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.
The county also reported eight more confirmed deaths Tuesday. The county has reported 1,245 confirmed deaths and 39 probable deaths from the coronavirus since tracking began in March.
Deaths include four men and four women. All of them except one Dallas woman in her 60s had been critically ill in area hospitals with underlying health conditions. The Dallas woman in her 60s was hospitalized but was not critically ill.
The rest of the reported dead include:
- A Dallas woman in her 50s
- A Dallas man in his 90s
- A DeSoto man in his 40s
- A Garland woman in her 70s
- A Grand Prairie man in his 60s
- A Grand Prairie woman in her 70s
- An Irving man in his 20s
Of the 1,105 newly reported cases Tuesday, Dallas County officials said 860 were confirmed and 245 were probable antigen tests. The county has reported 137,143 confirmed cases of coronavirus and 13,797 probable cases from antigen testing since tracking began in March.
"The weather will be nice the next few days and I hope that everyone will be able to get outside and exercise at a six-foot distance," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins wrote in a Tuesday news release. "Remember that when you’re not at home and inside any building, including your own office building, doctors strongly recommend that you be masked for the duration of the time that you’re in the building."
Tarrant County coronavirus hospitalizations continue to climb
Tarrant County officials reported less than 1,000 cases Tuesday for the first time since just before Thanksgiving weekend, on Nov. 24. The county reported 860 new cases of coronavirus Tuesday, but also reported 13 new deaths, all of whom had underlying health conditions, officials said.
Those deaths include:
- An Arlington woman in her 70s
- A Euless man in his 80s
- A Fort Worth woman in her 90s
- A Fort Worth man in his 80s
- A Fort Worth woman in her 80s
- A Fort Worth woman in her 70s
- A Fort Worth woman in her 70s
- A Forest Hill man in his 70s
- A Fort Worth man in his 60s
- A Fort Worth man in his 60s
- A Fort Worth woman in her 60s
- A Grapevine woman in her 30s
- A White Settlement woman in her 60s
Tarrant County has now reported 898 confirmed deaths from coronavirus since tracking began in March.
As of Tuesday, 77 percent of Tarrant County's hospital beds are occupied. There are currently 890 confirmed coronavirus patients in hospital beds, up from 875 on Monday and representing about 23 percent of all occupied hospital beds and 18 percent of the county's total amount of hospital beds.
Denton County reports 560 new cases, three deaths, six available ICU beds
Denton County Public Health (DCPH) reported 560 new cases of coronavirus and three deaths from the virus Tuesday. That case number is just 32 shy of the record it announced Monday.
According to county officials, the three people who died were:
- A Pilot Point woman in her 70s who lived at Cedar Ridge Rehabilitation
- A Lewisville man in his 50s
- A Justin man in his 80s who lived at the Longmeadow Healthcare Center
Those three deaths bring the county's total to 161 coronavirus deaths since tracking began in March. There are now 27,181 cumulative, confirmed cases of coronavirus in the county since tracking began in March.
Denton County has six ICU beds available, up from five reported on Monday. Monday's ICU bed availability was the lowest it had been since the county started tracking ICU bed availability. As of Tuesday, 23.7 percent of Denton County's hospitalizations are coronavirus-related.
Gov. Abbott to participate in Pres. Trump's vaccine summit
President Donald Trump will host an "Operation Warp Speed Vaccine Summit" Tuesday at the White House to discuss the COVID-19 vaccine development.
Select governors will join Trump officials and medical leaders at the summit, including Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee, Louisiana Gov. John Bell Edwards, and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
During the summit, Trump and his administration will also discuss the approval process and distribution plan for the country.
The Trump Administration named this effort "Operation Warp Speed" in May and said the summit is a chance to share its progress with the country.
Officials will focus on a system that would prioritize dosages for Americans before providing assistance to foreign countries, educating the public about the vaccine development, and discuss where the country is with the Food and Drug Administration's approval for the vaccine.
Officials from President-elect Joe Biden’s transition team were not invited to the summit.
The vaccine summit is scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. and the governor's panel will begin at 3 p.m.
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Funeral service for Denton County Deputy Constable
A funeral service will be held Tuesday for Denton County Deputy Constable M. Wayne Rhodes. He died last week from "a COVID-19-related illness.
The memorial service will be live-streamed and begins at 11 a.m., click here to watch it online.
Rhodes was 66. He is survived by his wife, six children, and 16 grandchildren.