Both Dallas and Tarrant Counties reported more than 1,000 additional COVID-19 cases Monday, with Tarrant County reporting a record 1,525 cases and three deaths. Tarrant County has now reported more than 75,000 cases, with a total of 75,161. Of those, 67,192 are confirmed and 7,969 are listed as "probable."
Tarrant County Public Health says 57,914 people have recovered and 763 have died. The health department says COVID-19 is now expected to be the third leading cause of death in Tarrant County this year, behind cancer and heart disease.
Of the 763 who have died, 71% have been 65 or older, but that age group accounts for just ten percent of cases. The largest percentage of cases is among people between the ages of 25 and 44, with 37% of cases but just five percent of deaths.
Tarrant County Public Health says cooler weather has led to more people gathering inside and no cases were part of a backlog. The department says people are now less likely to follow social distancing guidelines and wear a mask.
"It's just human nature. We're not following the rules like we need to," says Dr. Barbara Odom-Wesley, an Arlington city councilwoman.
Odom-Wesley says she attended last weekend's Dallas Cowboys game at AT&T Stadium and saw fans not following guidelines.
"I see many people with the mask around their neck or hanging from one ear," she says. "The social distancing seems to go by the wayside when you're at a gathering for more than a few minutes."
Dallas County reported 1,248 additional cases Monday and two deaths. Of the 1,248 cases, 153 were probable.
"I know people are tired of COVID and ready to turn the page to a happier time, but we will need to continue to put community health and our economy above our selfish desires for a little while longer. The steep rise in cases that we’re seeing seriously threatens those with high-risk health conditions among us and can have a terrible effect on our economy going into this important holiday shopping season if we don’t all do our part. Please follow the doctors’ recommendations,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins wrote in a statement.
Dr. Beth Kassanoff says large events may drive up case numbers, but the virus can spread at small gatherings around holidays, like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
"Wear the mask in the house. Don't just assume that because they're close family or close friends that they're not putting you at risk," she says.
Denton County reported 276 cases; 186 are active. Collin County reported 148 cases. Neither Collin nor Denton County reported additional deaths.
Tuesday, the Texas Department of Health and Human Services reported 6,103 COVID-19 patients at hospitals, occupying 9.65% of hospital beds in Texas. November 1, hospitals had 5,691 patients.
In North Texas, hospitals had 1,631 COVID-19 patients Monday, occupying 10.89% of beds. Hospitals in the area had 1,938 open beds, 229 available ICU beds and 2,077 available ventilators.