COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are increasing in North Texas, and the seven day average of new cases in Dallas County has reached its highest level since July. The state-wide positivity rate was 9.27% Wednesday, but Dallas County Health and Human Services says the rate of tests coming back positive there has increased to 15.4%.
"Our daily numbers continue to climb as do our hospitalizations, and it's more important now than ever that we wear our mask and avoid crowds. We know what to do, we just need to do it," Judge Clay Jenkins wrote in a statement. "We cannot afford to go into the holiday season with an all-time high of daily COVID-19 cases. As the weather turns colder and more and more people are close to one another indoors, the threat of COVID increases, just as it did when it was hot and we were indoors. We cannot start that season at an all-time high or we will have a very dark winter and a difficult spring."
Jenkins says the seven day average has climbed to 733, the largest numbers since July. Wednesday, Dallas County reported 687 confirmed cases of COVID-19 and an additional 179 probable cases. Dallas County reported two deaths.
Tarrant County confirmed 709 cases and no deaths; Collin County confirmed 284 cases and three deaths; Denton County confirmed 201 cases and no deaths.
In Denton County, Sanger ISD canceled in-person classes at Sanger High School Thursday and Friday after a "spike in COVID-19 cases" on campus.
"During these two-days of closure, all students and staff will switch over to our online learning platform, missing zero instructional time," Superintendent Tommy Hunter wrote in a letter to parents. "Because of the switch and not losing instructional minutes, we will NOT have to make these days up at a later time."
Hunter says all indoor activities at the high school will be canceled or postponed. He says the closure will allow time for the campus to be deep cleaned. All other Sanger ISD campuses will remain open for in-person learning.
Hospitals in North Texas had 1,557 COVID-19 patients Wednesday, occupying 10.73% of hospital capacity. Hospitals in the area had 1,739 available beds, 166 open ICU beds and 1,945 available ventilators Wednesday.
