COVID-19 hospitalizations have surged in Texas, increasing from 6,574 New Year's Day to 11,040 Tuesday. The Department of State Health Services says hospitals in North Texas have 3,424 COVID-19 patients using 22.5% of beds.
Local elected officials say the increase has highlighted the importance of communication among different agencies.
In Denton County, Texas Motor Speedway became one of the largest vaccination sites in the country last year, giving 370,000 doses of the vaccine over three and a half months. The site had 16 lanes and gave out 14,947 doses of the vaccine in one day, which Denton County Public Health said may have been the most for a single day at any location in the country.
"People came from all four corners of the State of Texas and also from 45 states across America to get vaccinated in Denton County," says Denton County Judge Andy Eads. "They knew they could get it in a timely manner, in a professional manner, get in, get out. It was such a shining example the White House even modeled all the federal vaccination clinics after what we did here."
Eads says the pandemic and coordination on the vaccination hub led to increased communication among counties, cities, school districts, and the state. He says he has been holding weekly calls with mayors, superintendents, nonprofits, and business leaders.
"It's been a two-year-long natural disaster. It didn't come and go like a tornado or hurricane. It's been with us two years," he says. "We've had to adjust and learn how to get through that, but the relationships we've gained and developed have really been an asset we can draw upon."
Eads says those closer relationships have already benefited Denton County, allowing quicker communication during record cold last February.
"That really brought us together as government officials because we realized what the county does, what the state does, and how the cities can partner with us," he says.
Eads says those relationships will benefit Denton County long-term, allowing the county to plan for schools, roads and other infrastructure that will be needed to accommodate population growth.
"We're one of the fastest-growing counties, not only in Texas but in the United States," he says. "We have an average of 82 people a day moving to Denton County."
The U.S. Census says Denton County's population increased from 662,614 in 2010 to 906,422 in 2020.
Through Tuesday, the Department of State Health Services said 61.7% of Texans five and older were fully vaccinated. In Denton County, 63.6% were fully vaccinated.
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