Tarrant County COVID-19 cases continues to drop from record highs

FORT WORTH, Texas - New COVID-19 cases continue to trend downward in Tarrant County, promising news in a county hard-hit by the delta wave in recent months.

Hospitalizations remain high, though, and the county health director says he's still concerned about the next few weeks.

As of Monday, the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council reports there are 1,781 hospitalized COVID-19 patients in Trauma Service Region E. Tarrant County accounts for the highest among them, with 579 of those patients. 

A further breakdown indicates 40 percent of Tarrant County ICU beds are occupied by those with COVID-19, a downward trend compared to recent weeks.

"That’s quite a decline. We were at 1,250 recently, a couple weeks ago, so things are improving in the hospitals," said Vinny Taneja, Tarrant County Public Health Director.

Taneja says despite the decline, there is still high community spread. On Monday, the county reported 413 new positive cases and 7 new deaths. That’s less than half of what it reported a week ago.   

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Taneja says Halloween activities are a concern.

"You’ve got to layer all your protections. That’s why Halloween is so important. People who are out trick or treating need to wear a mask. Don’t go in large groups, individual family units are better," he said. "And people who are handing out candy, wear a mask, make sure you’re washing your hands."

Taneja says it’s important people not let their guards down with taking precautions.

"The only thing where we’re still not comfortable is the positivity rate. 18% or so, that’s about one in five," he said. "We still have a lot of disease activity in the community and that’s the word of caution we need to always remember."

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