COVID-19 patient rate in North Texas hospitals just crossed Governor Abbott’s red line

North Texas has crossed a critical threshold in the number of hospital patients battling COVID-19 that could trigger bar closings and lower occupancy rates in stores and restaurants if those cases don’t decrease within a week.

With more than 2,300 patients testing positive for the coronavirus in the 19-county hospital region, 15.05% of all beds were occupied by someone with COVID-19, according to state data.

Hospitals were approaching the 15% red line – set by Governor Greg Abbott in October – for several days before the Thanksgiving holiday as the state continued to report a record number of new coronavirus cases. Texas reported 2,473 new cases and 51 new deaths on Friday – a drastic drop from recent results likely due to the labs being closed for the holidays.

Currently, most businesses in the region can operate at 75% capacity. But under Abbott’s October 7 executive order, companies will be forced to limit capacity to 50% if they are in an area where more than 15% of hospital patients have tested positive for the coronavirus for seven consecutive days. . The rate has to drop below the red line for a week before trade capacity can rise again.

“As the number of positive cases rises, our health heroes need your patriotism and your sacrifice,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement Friday. “Please postpone meetings and avoid crowds to protect public health and the economy.”

The 19-county area includes both Dallas and Tarrant counties as well as smaller counties including Rockwall, Cooke, and Hunt.

There were 8,518 people in a Texas hospital with COVID-19 as of Friday, the state reported. That’s about 2,400 below the state’s peak, set in July.

Nine of the state’s 22 regions reported at least one day above the 15% threshold this week. And another hovered just below on Friday. The region that includes El Paso was by far the worst, with around 35% of all its hospital patients battling COVID-19.

Abbott tweeted a rosier outlook on Friday, pointing out that the rate of infected patients in El Paso counties has fallen for two consecutive weeks and that the state’s positivity rate is dropping.

Earlier this month, Abbott rejected the idea of ​​cutting back the statewide economy. Another shutdown would have a disastrous effect, he said. At the time of his comments – just eight days ago – six of the state’s regions were above the line.

Some small hospitals have particular difficulties dealing with the virus. Officials at a Rockwall County hospital – about 30 miles east of Dallas – said it was overcapacity this week.

As of Wednesday, 75% of hospital beds were filled with COVID-19 patients, officials at Rockwall Hospital said. The occupancy rate is 120%.

“That means we currently have 72 patients who need one of our 60 beds,” wrote Cindy Perrin, president of Texas Health Hospital Rockwall, in a pre-Thanksgiving Day vacation letter to the community first reported. by NBC5. “Listen to our nurses and others echoing these sentiments across the United States… I implore you to wear a mask, limit gatherings, wash your hands, and behave responsibly.”

Rockwall County slightly surpassed the rest of the North Texas region in terms of hospital capacity. A map based on state data released by Dallas and Tarrant counties earlier this month showed that Rockwall’s limited hospital capacity is much more strained than that of the larger counties. Rockwall is home to approximately 105,000 people, a fraction of the 7 million people who live in North Texas.

Most counties are not reporting new tests or hospital data due to the Thanksgiving holiday. Dallas County reported on Wednesday that only 26 adult intensive care beds were available. The county bases that number on data reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council, an agency that helps hospitals coordinate across multiple jurisdictions and track state data.

Here is where the numbers stand now.

Dallas County

Dallas County will resume reporting new data on Saturday. The county reported 1,368 new cases of coronavirus and six more deaths from COVID-19 on Wednesday.

The county has recorded 122,184 confirmed cases and 11,627 probable cases. It also recorded 1,202 confirmed deaths from COVID-19 and 29 probable deaths.

Dallas County officials are not reporting recoveries, noting that Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not use this metric.

In the 24-hour period that ended Tuesday, 764 COVID-19 patients were in acute care at county hospitals. During the same period, 508 emergency room visits were for symptoms of the disease.

Saturday’s figures will include data processed Wednesday evening, while Sunday’s report will include COVID-19 data from Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County health officials will begin releasing new data on Sunday.

The county reported 1,302 coronavirus cases and three new deaths on Wednesday.

The county has registered 95,989 cases, including 85,010 confirmed cases and 10,979 probable cases. The recoveries total 67,595. The death toll is 838.

On Wednesday, 812 people were hospitalized with the virus.

Collin County

The state added 271 coronavirus cases to Collin County’s total on Friday, bringing its total to 25,153. Three more deaths from COVID-19 were also reported, bringing the county’s death toll to 251.

According to state data, the county has 3,057 active cases of the virus.

The county’s coronavirus dashboard only provides total hospitalizations, which are 260.

Denton County

In Friday’s report, Denton County announced 305 cases of the coronavirus.

The county has recorded 22,789 cases of COVID-19, of which 5,345 are ongoing and 17,296 are recovering. The death toll stands at 148.

There were 137 COVID-19 patients hospitalized on Friday, according to county data. Nineteen percent of all hospital beds had a positive COVID-19 patient.

Other counties

The Texas Department of State Health Services have resumed reporting for these other North Texas counties. In some of them, new data may not be communicated every day.

The latest numbers are:

• Rockwall County: 2,948 cases, 36 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 4,870 cases, 80 deaths.
• Ellis County: 6,828 cases, 111 deaths.
• Johnson County: 5,327 cases, 103 deaths.