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COVID-19 updates: Tarrant County opens 2 new vaccination sites

Health officials also said that as of Wednesday, there are 158 people hospitalized with COVID-19. There were 179 the previous day.

TARRANT COUNTY, Texas — Tarrant County Public Health announced Wednesday that two new COVID-19 vaccination sites are now open.

In White Settlement, a new drive-thru site is open in the parking lot of the Splash Dayz Water Park at 405 N. Las Vegas Trail. It will be open from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. from Wednesday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday.

Tarrant County also opened a vaccination site for downtown workers in the jury selection room at the Tim Curry Criminal Justice Center. The vaccination site will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on both Wednesday and Thursday.

People can make an appointment at tarrantcounty.com/vaccinefinder.

Walk-up appointments are available but people must register onsite before getting vaccinated.

RELATED: VERIFY: No, donating blood will not diminish the COVID-19 vaccine's effect

Health officials also reported 174 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. There have been 258,693 total cases in the county since tracking began in March 2020. 

As of Wednesday, there are 158 people hospitalized with COVID-19. There were 179 the previous day.

This is the 48th consecutive day the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations has been below 200. 

The COVID-19 patients make up 4% of the total hospital bed capacity. The county currently has a 14-day average of 148 hospitalizations. 

There have been 1,252,968 doses of the COVID-19 vaccines distributed in Tarrant County.

Credit: Jay Wallis

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Dallas County reports 165 hospitalizations

Dallas County health officials reported 165 hospitalizations Wednesday, down from 187 the previous day.

Health officials also announced 239 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday, bringing the county total to 259,030 since tracking began in March 2020. 

Of these new cases, 78 are considered probable, because they came from antigen tests. 

There were also 10 new deaths in the county. These ranged in age from a Dallas man in his 40s to a Garland man in his 80s.

Collin County averaging 52 new cases in the past 14 days

There were two new COVID-19 cases in Collin County on Wednesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. This is down from 68 on Tuesday.

The county is averaging 52 new COVID-19 cases in the past 14 days.

Collin County health officials said the county currently has 76 COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Wednesday, down from 78 on Tuesday. This number has remained below 100 since April 16.

Health officials say COVID-19 patients make 3% of Collin County's total hospital bed capacity.

Credit: Jay Wallis

Denton County reports 14 new deaths

Denton County health officials reported 14 new deaths Wednesday. These include:

  • A Flower Mound woman older than 80
  • A Lake Dallas man in his 70s
  • A Lewisville woman in her 70s
  • A Lewisville man older than 80
  • A Denton woman older than 80
  • A Argyle man older than 80
  • A Frisco man in his 50s
  • A Denton man older than 80
  • A Carrollton woman older than 80
  • A Fort Worth man in his 50s
  • A Trophy Club man in his 50s
  • A Trophy Club woman in her 70s
  • A Flower Mound woman in her 70s
  • A Carrollton man in his 60s

Health officials also announced there are currently 12 ICU beds available in the county's hospitals.

COVID-19 patients currently make up 19% of the current Denton County patients in ICU beds.

There are currently 23 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in the county. There were 29 on Tuesday and 33 on Monday.

The county currently has a 14-day average of 29 hospitalizations. 

Health officials reported 92 new COVID-19 cases Wednesday. There have now been 75,225 total cases since tracking began in March 2020.

As of Monday, 202,578 people in Denton County have received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 183,544 have received their second doses.

Credit: Jay Wallis

Texas child care facilities match record-low 14-day average of daily cases

Texas child care centers have started to see their daily COVID-19 cases leveling off the past few months, according to statistics from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.

Child care centers along with before-school and after-school programs have to report COVID-19 cases to the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Those cases are reported daily here.

State officials reported Monday there were 27 new cases of COVID-19 in these facilities.

These facilities currently have a 14-day average of 14.9 new cases a day. This matches the record-low that happened from March 30 through April 12.

The record-high happened from Jan. 19 through Feb. 1 when these facilities averaged 115 new cases a day.

While there were 21 consecutive reported days in January and February with more than 100 new cases for both employees and children combined, this statistic has started to level off and remained below 100 since Feb. 9.

Credit: Jay Wallis

RELATED: Planning on vaccinating your kids against COVID? Doctors want you to keep this in mind

Texas reports 2,508 hospitalizations

On Monday, state health officials reported there are currently 2,508 COVID-19 hospitalizations in Texas.

This is the 28th consecutive day this statistic has remained below 3,000.

The record-high number of hospitalizations happened on Jan. 11 when there were 14,218 patients in Texas hospitals.

The state currently has a 14-day average of 2,569 hospitalizations.

Credit: Jay Wallis

US deaths reach lowest mark in nearly a year

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. have dropped to an average of about 600 per day — the lowest level in 10 months — with the number of lives lost going down to single digits in well over half the states and hitting zero on some days.

Confirmed infections have fallen to about 38,000 a day on average, their lowest mark since mid-September. They have plummeted 85% from a peak of more than a quarter-million cases per day in early January.

COVID-19 deaths in the U.S. topped out in mid-January at an average of more than 3,400 a day, just a month into the biggest vaccination drive in the nation's history. 

RELATED: US COVID deaths hit lowest level in 10 months

AARP offering free rides to get vaccine shot

AARP has created a new transportation initiative to serve Dallas County residents and provide free rides to COVID-19 vaccine providers.

The group worked with local Dallas organizations and Toyota to create the program, called AARP Ride@50+, a news release said. 

The program allows people to book different kinds of transportation, including free rides to vaccine appointments at Parkland Hospital and with Dallas County.

People can book the rides through an app, online or by calling 1-800-466-1461.

RELATED: Need a ride to get your COVID-19 vaccine? This free transportation program will get you there

People impacted by pandemic can now apply for discount on internet payments

Americans can begin applying for $50 off their monthly internet bill on Wednesday as part of an emergency government program to keep people connected during the pandemic.

The $3.2 billion program is part of the $900 billion December pandemic-relief package.

Tens of millions of people are eligible, although the Federal Communications Commission, which is administering the program, did not specify a number.

RELATED: Sign-ups for $50 off monthly internet because of pandemic begin Wednesday

CDC advisers endorse Pfizer COVID shot for kids 12 and up

U.S. health advisers endorsed use of Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine in kids as young as 12 on Wednesday, as new guidelines say it's OK for people of any age to get the shot at the same time as other needed vaccinations. 

Earlier in the week, the Food and Drug Administration authorized emergency use of the two-shot vaccine made by Pfizer and its German partner, BioNTech. 

A study of more than 2,000 12- to 15-year-olds found the same dose adults use is safe and strongly protective in the kids, too.

RELATED: US advisers endorse Pfizer COVID shot for kids 12 and up

Veterinarians struggling with demand after millions of adoptions during the pandemic

Approximately 12.6 million U.S. households got a new pet last year after the pandemic was declared in March 2020, according to a COVID-19 Pulse Study by the American Pet Products Association.

Meanwhile, fewer people relinquished their pets in 2020, so they needed ongoing care, experts said. 

As people worked from home and spent more time with their pets, they've had more opportunities to notice bumps, limps and other ailments that could typically go untreated.

Veterinary positions are projected to grow 16% by 2029, nearly four times the average of most other occupations, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Vet tech jobs are expected to increase nearly 20% in the next five years.

RELATED: Veterinarians backlogged after millions adopted pets during pandemic

Red Cross warns of growing number of cases in Asia

Coronavirus cases are rising in Asia and the Pacific with more than 5.9 million new confirmed infections in the past two weeks, more than in all other regions combined, the International Federation of the Red Cross said Wednesday.

Seven out of 10 countries globally that are doubling their infection numbers the fastest are in Asia and the Pacific, it said. 

Laos took just 12 days to see its cases double, and the number of confirmed infections in India has doubled in under two months to more than 23 million, the Red Cross said in a statement.

RELATED: Red Cross warns that coronavirus cases are exploding in Asia

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