More than 150 babies have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Tarrant and Denton counties since tracking began in March, health officials told WFAA.
In Tarrant County, health officials have recorded 113 cases in children under the age of 1 since March.
The vast majority of those cases, however, have occurred within the last month or so. About 80 of the babies' cases, or 71%, were confirmed after June 14, according to health officials.
Overall, Tarrant County has reported a total of 22,002 coronavirus cases since March, with 299 deaths and 10,644 recoveries.
In Denton County, the numbers have not been as high.
Health officials there have reported 38 cases in children under the age of 2 since tracking began back in March.
The county overall has had 5,098 reported cases, with 45 deaths and 2,847 recoveries.
In Nueces County, where the county seat is Corpus Christi, a 6-week-old infant died on July 10, about a week after he had been discharged from a hospital after testing positive for the novel coronavirus.
That county has had 85 babies under the age of 1 test positive for COVID-19 since tracking began. Researchers estimate that 1 in every 8 residents in the Coastal Bend is actively infected with COVID-19.
Texas surpassed 4,000 deaths on Monday, state data shows, with a current death toll of 4,020 people. But, experts believe the actual death toll in the state is higher.
It took just 10 days for another 1,000 people with COVID-19 in Texas to die, according to state data, going from 3,013 deaths on July 10 to 4,020 on July 20.
The death toll is likely to continue to rise more rapidly in the coming weeks, even as hospitalizations may level off since it can take weeks for an infected person to either recover or die from COVID-19.
