This story will be regularly updated on Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020.
Tarrant County health officials reported 20 news novel coronavirus deaths on Sunday, bringing the county's total to 992 since tracking began.
The second-largest North Texas county also added 1,423 additional cases.
The past week has been the most deadly of the pandemic, with cases and hospitalizations also surging in Tarrant County.
Deaths reported this week:
- Monday: 11
- Tuesday: 13
- Wednesday: 15
- Thursday: 14
- Friday: 20
- Saturday: 25
That means almost 12% of all coronavirus deaths in the county have come in the past week.
The county has reported 119,630 COVID-19 cases since March.
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North Texas hospitalizations at 16.28 percent, state says
Texas Health and Human Services is reporting 6,479 new, positive cases of coronavirus and 111 deaths from the disease Sunday, while the North Texas hospital region (Region E) is still above the 15% hospitalization threshold, at 16.28 percent. Those case numbers and deaths are down from Saturday, but the state also reported an increase in hospitalizations Sunday, with 9,230.
Dallas County reports nearly 2,000 cases and 4 deaths
Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 1,810 new, positive cases of coronavirus Sunday. The count's case total is comprised of 1,551 confirmed cases and 259 probable cases.
Sunday's cases place Dallas County at a cumulative total of 144,523 confirmed cases and a cumulative total of 15,623 probable cases.
All of the four people reported dead by the county had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions. Three of them were critically ill, according to the county. The four deaths include:
- A Grand Prairie woman in her 40s
- A Dallas woman in her 50s
- A Mesquite man in his 80s
- A Dallas woman in her 90s
So far, 1,379 Dallas County residents have died due to coronavirus.
According to data released to Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson's office by 25 Dallas hospitals, 75% of the city's total hospital beds are occupied (4,447 out of 5,908); 81% of the city's total ICU beds are occupied (760 out of 934) and 41% of available ventilators are in use (417 out of 1,004).
Vaccination distribution to begin early this week
The state of Texas says it expects to receive more than 220,000 doses of Pfizer's coronavirus vaccine for distribution in week one.
Gov. Greg Abbott said earlier in December that Texas is slated to get more than 1.4 million doses of vaccines by the end of the month.
U.S. health experts could approve a second vaccine from Moderna in the next week or so. An FDA advisory panel meets Thursday to discuss the data.
WFAA digital producer Jake Harris contributed to this report.