Across Texas, there are now at least 2,793 people currently hospitalized with COVID-19, the highest number the state has seen since the pandemic began.
That number jumped up by 275 more people from Tuesday's statewide report, which had again broken records for hospitalizations following days of increasing record highs.
Across North Texas, at least 859 people infected with the coronavirus are currently hospitalized, according to state officials, another new record high for the region as well. That number jumped by about 100 people in just one day.
North Texas as a region now has the highest number of COVID-19 patients hospitalized in the state, surpassing the region around Houston, which had previously been the state leader.
Those numbers are now up 65% locally and 85% statewide since Memorial Day.
But during a news conference on Tuesday, Gov. Greg Abbott dismissed the idea that local governments should be allowed to require people to wear face masks and said Texas has plenty of hospital beds to handle patients, so "there is no reason to be alarmed."
Across Texas, there have been more than 93,000 cases of COVID-19 since tracking began in March, with more than 29,500 in North Texas.
More than 2,000 people have died from the disease in Texas, according to state officials.
Top updates for Wednesday, June 17:
- A group of Texas mayors have asked Gov. Greg Abbott to allow local governments to require face masks in public, including a number in North Texas.
- As cases of COVID-19 and hospitalizations have continued to rise across Texas, an infection disease doctor explains "this is the consequence" of aggressively reopening early.
- Access to free COVID-19 testing sites is expanding across Dallas County, with several churches and a college among the new locations.
Dallas County sees record jump in cases, hospitalizations
Dallas County saw a massive jump in COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, with 413 new cases reported, according to a tweet from Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
The previous record for the county had been about 100 cases less than that.
An additional nine people died from the disease as well, according to Dallas County officials.
"Increasing outbreaks of cases are being reported from multiple large social gatherings since the beginning of June," a report from the county said.
Nine separate childcare facilities in the county have reported a total of 17 cases in children and staff over the past week as well, officials said. Only one daycare facility had reported any cases in the past two months prior to this week.
Officials are also looking into the death of a 12-year-old that may be from complications connected to the disease.
Over the last two weeks, Dallas County has also seen a 40% increase in hospitalizations, which is "of more concern," Jenkins said.
"If these percentage increases continue, many more people will get sick and die in the coming weeks," county officials said.
Denton High School suspends workouts after positive COVID-19 test
Denton High School has suspended all athletic workouts and has advised all who attended workouts to self-quarantine for 14 days after someone who worked out at the facility tested positive for COVID-19, according to a statement from a Denton Independent School District spokesperson Wednesday night.
Tuesday, it was confirmed five other North Texas high schools had positive cases of COVID-19.
Hundreds of inmates in Anderson County test positive
Officials in Anderson County confirmed there have been 887 cases connected to Texas state prisons in the county, according to reporting from Monday.
The four state prisons where the cases are located are Powledge, Coffield, Beto and Michael, County Judge Robert D. Johnston said, with the largest outbreaks at Beto and Michael.
Across the state, 7,467 inmates have tested positive, with 2,253 currently active cases, according to state officials. More than 90 inmates with COVID-19 have died.
There have been 1,129 employees of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice who have tested positive, with eight deaths. There are currently 366 active cases.
1 inmate, 3 staff members test positive at Collin County Detention Facility
An inmates and three staff members at the Collin County Detention Faciilty have tested positive for COVID-19 in the past few days, the sheriff's office said.
Other staff members are currently being tested and new precautions have been put in place. The inmate is currently being held in an isolated infirmary cell, officials said.
The sheriff's office is also working to increase inmate health monitoring and randomly testing inmates for the virus.
All incoming inmates are currently being screened and then tested when appropriate, the sheriff's office said.
5 SMU athletes test positive
Five student athletes at Southern Methodist University who had returned to campus for off-season workouts have tested positive for COVID-19, school officials said. All five were asymptomatic.
The five athletes will remain in isolation for two weeks and will receive contactless meal deliveries, according to officials, along with anyone else found to be impacted during the contact tracing process.
The school had decided to test all students who had voluntarily returned, a total of 75 people.
Fort Worth ISD students to choose between in-person or virtual learning
Fort Worth Independent School District officials said Wednesday parents will need to choose between in-person or virtual learning for their child come the fall semester, which will start on Aug. 17.
79 new cases reported in Collin County
County officials reported there were 79 new COVID-19 cases across Collin County, raising the county total to 1,866 since tracking began in March.
Of those, 530 are considered active cases, officials said. Thirty-eight people with the disease have died in the county and 112 people are currently hospitalized, a jump of about 20 people from the day before.
Nearly 1,300 people have recovered.
Texas Supreme Court justice recovers from COVID-19
Texas Supreme Court Justice Debra Lehrman said Wednesday her symptoms while battling COVID-19 were “quite severe” but she has fully recovered.
Lehrman is one of nine judges on the state’s highest court for civil law. She announced May 21 that she and her husband, Greg, tested positive for the coronavirus despite being diligent about following social distancing guidelines.
She is the highest-ranking state official in Texas known to test positive for the coronavirus. Lehrman said she and her husband will be donating blood plasma to help other patients. — Associated Press
Rockwall County now up to 247 cases, state officials say
Three new cases were reported in Rockwall County on Wednesday, bringing the total number to 247 cases since tracking began in March. One case was in someone in their 20s, one in their 60s and one in their 70s, local officials said.
Sixteen people in the county have died from the disease while 188 have recovered.
Health experts recommend taking the following actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Practice "social distancing" and stay at least 6 feet away from others and avoid large public gatherings
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
- Consult CDC’s travel website for any travel advisories and steps to protect yourself if you plan to travel outside of the U.S.