This story will be updated throughout the day as new information is released.
Dallas County health officials reported 702 new coronavirus cases Monday, and Tarrant County reported 3,356 cases from the four-day holiday weekend.
Both counties are among the three counties with the highest number of new COVID-19 cases over a three-week period in November, according to a Nov. 22 White House Coronavirus Task Force report on Texas.
The report says El Paso, Tarrant and Dallas counties accounted for almost 39% of the state's cases for the three week period that ended Nov. 22.
"Texas continues to be in a full resurgence and mitigation efforts must intensify," the report says.
Monday was the fourth consecutive day that the North Texas hospital region was above 15% occupancy with 16.13%, according to the state health department.
Tarrant County hospitalizations rose slightly from 834 coronavirus patients to 855.
The county averaged 839 cases a day over the holiday weekend, which is a slight decrease from the more than 1,000 cases the county had been reporting in the days before Thanksgiving.
Of the 702 coronavirus cases reported Monday in Dallas County, 18 are probable, health officials said. The county also reported five deaths, including:
- A Dallas man in his 60s
- A Richardson man in 70s
- A Richardson man in his 70s, who did not have underlying high-risk health conditions
- A Carrollton man in his 80s, who did not have underlying high-risk health conditions
- A Mesquite woman in her 80s
In Dallas County, the seven-day average has risen to 1,405 cases a day, which is the highest infection rate in the county since tracking began in March.
And the number of school-aged children who have been diagnosed with COVID-19 has increased in November. Since Nov. 1, there have been 3,630 coronavirus cases confirmed in Dallas County schools. Of those, 466 of the cases were among staff members.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said health officials expect to see a spike in coronavirus cases from Thanksgiving gatherings toward the end of the week.
It can take up to two weeks for someone to develop symptoms of COVID-19 after coming into contact with the virus.
Denton County reports 368 cases
Denton County health officials announced 368 new coronavirus cases Monday. Officials said 246 of those cases are active.
The county has reported 23,644 cases since tracking began in March and health officials estimate there are 5,617 active cases in the county.
Of the total cases, 1,230 were linked to travel. The majority were connected to community spread and a person coming into contact with someone with a confirmed case.
The county is offering free drive-thru coronavirus testing starting at 8 a.m. Friday at North Central Texas College's Exchange Parking Garage, 319 E. Sycamore St. People must register for an appointment by calling 940-349-2585.