DALLAS — The state of Texas is reporting more than 20,000 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 Wednesday, as the delta variant continues to surge across the state.
The total number of confirmed cases reported by the state Wednesday is 20,058 confirmed cases, 5,046 probable cases and 174 deaths from COVID-19.
Currently, there are 322 ICU beds available statewide. There are 12,402 Texans currently hospitalized with COVID, according to data from Texas Health and Human Services.
According to a tweet from Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins, there are only 33 available adult ICU beds in Dallas County as of Wednesday.
In nationwide COVID news, President Joe Biden Wednesday announced that his administration will require that nursing home staff be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition for those facilities to continue receiving federal Medicare and Medicaid funding.
According to CDC data, just 60.7% of Texas nursing home staff is fully vaccinated.
Dallas County
Dallas County reported 850 new, positive cases of COVID-19, including 161 probable cases, and seven deaths Wednesday. This brings the county's cumulative case total to 288,020 for confirmed cases and 48,353 probable cases, and a total of 4,258 deaths from COVID since tracking began in March 2020.
"The numbers continue to be high. Our hospitals continue to be stressed," Jenkins wrote in a Twitter thread announcing Wednesday's numbers. He also reiterated the need for masks in schools.
"And, again, it is imperative that school districts and businesses require masks for us to have our best chance of not overrunning our hospitals and defeating this virus, which has claimed the lives of more than 641,080 Americans and caused economy [sic] hardship for so many."
Denton County
Denton County reported 403 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the county's cumulative total to 85,030 cases since tracking began in March 2020.