Health officials concerned as COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Texas approach peak levels again

Dallas County health leaders said the models show we are on a path to return to peak levels when it comes to hospitals.

DALLAS - Even though COVID-19 hospitalizations in North Texas have not reached the 15% threshold to trigger some restrictions, they are going up fast.

Dallas County reported that 100 patients were admitted into its hospitals in just one day.

In the last couple of weeks, people with the coronavirus are getting sicker, meaning more hospitalizations.

County health leaders said the models show we are on a path to return to peak levels when it comes to hospitals.

In a 24-hour period this week, the number of COVID-19 hospital patients in Dallas County increased by 100.

The second largest jump since the pandemic started.

“We are extremely concerned about the situation where we are right now,” Dallas County Health Director Dr. Philip Huang said.

Every day this week, Dallas County has reported more than 1,000 new cases.

While most who are infected don’t need to go to the hospital, the number of people who do is growing.

And people getting infected now may not need to go to the hospital until sometime next week.

At the peak back in mid-July, there were nearly 800 COVID-19 patients in Dallas County hospitals.

Wednesday's report was 579 patients.

“If the trend continues as it is now, in one week, we will be at the levels in the hospitals in our peak, in the middle of the summer in July, which were the highest numbers we reached. It’s really getting critical here, all of the hospitals are concerned,” Dr. Huang said.

County health officials said school aged children and young adults are driving the most recent surge, but they add that people in long-term care facilities are once again getting sick.

Medical experts say irresponsible behavior fueling COVID-19 surge

Parkland Health CEO Dr. Joseph Chang said he's pretty frustrated about the lack of personal responsibility he's been seeing lately. For example, two members of one North Texas family ended up in the hospital with COVID-19 because someone let their sick child go to a slumber party.

“Thankfully, what we haven't seen is the mortality rate go up, but that is a lagging indicator, so we are going to need to watch that number very carefully,” said Dr. John Carlo, with the Texas Medical Association.

Dr. Carlo added that people are just letting their guard down.

Hospitals are well stocked with PPE and other resources, but Carlo fears the strain on the medical system is once again heading in a bad direction.

“The number of people sick or infectious in this community right now is much, much higher than it was a few weeks ago. Everything we do going forward has to be taken into account. We have to go back and look at what's essential,” Dr. Carlo added.

Hospitals for our “trauma region,” which includes most of the Metroplex, plus Grayson County, have about 12% of beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients.

That does not meet the 15% threshold to automatically trigger capacity restrictions at local businesses.