Dallas County reported 50 deaths from COVID-19 Wednesday, the highest number of deaths in a single day since the beginning of the pandemic. Dallas County had never reported more than 40 deaths before, reaching that number twice in the past eight days.
"As we have said, these will be our darkest months for deaths thus far," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins wrote in a statement.
The 50 people who died ranged in age from their 40s to one person older than 100. Of those 50 deaths, five did not have an underlying health condition.
Jenkins is urging people to register for the vaccine in as many places as you are willing to drive. He also says people will need to keep wearing masks and is encouraging people to avoid Super Bowl parties this weekend, saying those actions could lead to numbers reversing in March.
"If we lose our resolve, and stop doing the things that we’re doing to keep ourselves and our community strong, then the battle will prolong and we run the risk of not reaching herd immunity before new strains set us back for a long time," Jenkins says.
Dallas County Health and Human Services says four cases of a variant have been identified in residents who had not traveled outside the United States.
In addition to 50 deaths, Dallas County reported 1,356 confirmed and probable cases Wednesday. Tarrant County reported 1,625 cases and 14 deaths.
The state reported 670 cases and ten deaths in Collin County. Denton County reported 621 cases and no deaths.
The Texas Department of State Health Services says hospitals across the 19-county region had 3,017 COVID-19 patients Wednesday, using 18.12% of capacity. The number of patients has dropped by more than 500 over the past week.
Across Texas, hospitals reported 10,827 COVID-19 patients using 15.8% of capacity, the first time since December 26 hospitals in the state had fewer than 11,000 patients.