Tarrant County health director warns about COVID-19 cases doubling within the next month
FORT WORTH, Texas - Tarrant County health director warns about COVID-19 cases doubling within the next month
After reporting more than 600 cases in the past two days, Tarrant County's health director points the blame at several recent social events and gatherings.
The latest Tarrant County COVID-19 news is not at all encouraging.
Sunday’s 444 new COVID-19 cases was a daily record for Tarrant County.
READ MORE: Tarrant County reports 444 new COVID-19 cases Sunday; Highest daily total among North Texas counties
Tarrant County Health Director Dr. Vinny Taneja believes the culprits are Memorial Day gatherings, graduation parties and more people at restaurants without face coverings and ignoring social distancing advice.
“If there is no change in behavior from our community, if the participation on masking and social distancing and trying to stay home is not followed, then we can probably see a double in the next 30 to 40 days,” Taneja said. “That’s very likely to happen, and that’s a very scary thought for our Tarrant county.”
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Dr. Taneja says COVID-19 hospitalizations are also trending upward. Over the weekend, the number countywide stood at 275.
Dr. Nikhil Bhayani is an infectious disease physician. He provides care for some of those patients at two Texas Health Resources Hospitals, including Arlington Memorial. He says the number of COVID-19 positive patients hospitalized has increased but remains steady. He’s seeing patients faring better most likely he says with stepped-up testing.
“One thing I can tell you about treatment and how it’s evolved is identifying the disease and getting the appropriate treatment started in a timely manner so that you’re able to get a foothold on stopping the effects this virus can have on the rest of the body,” Bhayani said.