TEXAS, USA — On Monday, state health officials reported there are currently 9,719 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas. This is down from 9,937 the previous day.
The last time there were two consecutive days with fewer than 10,000 hospitalizations happened on Aug. 7 and Aug. 8.
State hospitalizations have currently declined every day for 20 consecutive days.
The record-high number of hospitalizations happened on Jan. 11, when there were 14,218 patients in Texas hospitals.
The state currently has a 14-day average of 11,554 hospitalizations.
Dallas County reports 17 new deaths
Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 17 new COVID-19 deaths Monday.
One of these deaths included "a female youth in her 10s" from Mesquite, according to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. She died in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
This brings the county's confirmed COVID-19 death total to 4,604 since tracking began in March 2020.
There were also 1,074 new COVID-19 cases Monday, according to local health officials.
Of the new cases, 378 are considered probable because they came from antigen tests.
There have now been 326,995 total confirmed cases since tracking began in March 2020.
Tarrant County adds 12 new deaths
Tarrant County Public Health reported 12 new deaths Monday. These ranged in age from an Arlington woman in her 20s to a Fort Worth man in his 80s.
There have now been 4,236 COVID-19 deaths since tracking began in March 2020.
There were also 809 new COVID-19 cases Monday. There have been 343,425 total cases in the county since tracking began in March 2020.
As of Monday, there are currently 973 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Tarrant County. That's up from 920 the previous day.
COVID-19 patients currently make up 22% of the total hospital bed capacity.
As of last Wednesday, there have been 2,474,541 total doses of the COVID-19 vaccine administered in Tarrant County, according to health officials.
Fort Worth offering drive-thru vaccination site
Fort Worth ISD and the City of Fort Worth will be offering drive-thru vaccinations this week.
Fort Worth residents can get these shots at Herman Clark Stadium from Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
On the clinic's opening day last Tuesday, 220 patients received a vaccination.
The vaccines are free and no health insurance information is needed.
First, second and third doses of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are available for anyone who is eligible.
For more information about the drive-thru, registration and what is being offered, you can click here.
Collin County hospitals drop to lowest mark since mid-August
Collin County health officials said the county currently has 350 people hospitalized with COVID-19 as of Monday.
This is the lowest it has been since there were 345 people hospitalized on Aug. 13.
COVID-19 patients make up 13% of Collin County's total hospital bed capacity, according to county data.
There were also 196 new COVID-19 cases in Collin County Monday, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services. This is down from 380 on Sunday.
County health officials do not report daily case count statistics.
The county's current 14-day case count average is 304, state data shows. The record average of 708 happened from Dec. 31 to Jan. 13.
Denton County has two ICU beds currently available
Denton County Public Health reported there are two ICU beds currently available in the county's hospitals, down from four on Sunday.
There are currently 153 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county, down from 154 on Sunday. Denton County hospitalizations have remained below 200 every day since Sept. 11.
The county currently has a 14-day average of 176 hospitalizations.
Health officials reported 665 new COVID-19 cases Monday. There have now been 99,575 total cases in the county since tracking began in March 2020.
As of Monday, 207,136 people in Denton County have received their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, 198,435 have received their second dose and 1,032 have received their third dose.
State officials add fewer than 5,000 cases for second straight day
State health officials reported 4,853 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, up from 4,531 cases Sunday.
The last time Texas had fewer than 5,000 daily cases in consecutive days happened on Sept. 19 and Sept. 20.
The state's current 14-day average is 10,430.
The record-high average happened from Jan. 4-17 when it was 18,915.
State health officials report 299 new cases in long-term care facilities
There were 299 new COVID-19 cases added in nursing facilities and assisted living facilities Monday, state health officials said.
This is the first time there have been more than 200 daily cases since there were 222 on Sept. 15.
In August, these facilities averaged 205 new cases a day. So far through September, they are averaging 195.
The highest monthly average happened in December when Texas long-term care facilities were averaging 614 cases a day.
Texas adds 78 new daily cases in child care facilities
Texas child care centers reported 78 new daily cases in Texas child care facilities Monday, according to statistics from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
This is the third consecutive reported day there have been fewer than 100 reported cases in these facilities.
Child care centers, along with before-school and after-school programs, have to report COVID-19 cases to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Those cases are reported daily here.
The current 14-day average is 99 new cases a day.
Biden gets COVID-19 booster shot after authorization
During brief remarks before receiving his booster shot at the White House, the president said boosters are important but the key is getting more people vaccinated.
Last week, federal regulators recommended a third dose of the Pfizer vaccine for Americans age 65 or older and approved them for others with preexisting medical conditions and high-risk work environments.