Dallas-Fort Worth out of ICU beds for children as surge in COVID-19 cases continues, group says

By Editor On Sep 14, 2021

As the number of coronavirus patients continues to rise in North Texas, hospitals are reporting fewer and fewer empty beds – including no available beds in intensive care units for children in the area.

According to the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, there were 75 staffed adult ICU beds in the 19 County area as of Thursday. 23 of them were in Dallas County, 21 in Tarrant County, and 16 in Collin County.

There are 343 COVID-19 patients on ventilators, the council said, and the majority of patients have not been vaccinated.

The hospital council also said there were no beds in the children’s intensive care unit. A record number of pediatric COVID-19 patients – 73 – and an unusually large number of patients with the Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) have resulted in total cot occupancy reaching around 95%.

“Cook Children’s Medical Center in Fort Worth is running out of capacity, but the facility is not sending patients to other hospitals,” said the Cook Children’s Health Care System in a written statement.

“If the situation arises that we cannot accommodate a patient in our hospital, we will find a bed for him in a suitable facility,” the statement said.

The healthcare system, which includes Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Children’s Medical Center Plano, also said it can cope with above-average patient numbers: “The number of beds available changes very often throughout the day. We are prepared and equipped to look after children in North Texas. “

Because vaccination rates were higher in older populations, a greater proportion of COVID-19 cases in the past few months had occurred in those under the age of 17 – accounting for about 20% of Dallas County’s cases in April, May and June. From January to March it was around 17% and from October to December it was around 15%.

According to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council, there are about 1,550 ICU beds in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, of which about 600 are in Dallas County – although those numbers can fluctuate. There are around 300 pediatric intensive care beds in the region.

Last week, Governor Greg Abbott announced measures to moderate the surge in hospital admissions from the more contagious Delta variant, including helping overseas medical workers and asking hospitals to postpone elective procedures.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that “the staffing situation in our hospitals has never been worse” as more and more patients require care.

“We need your help to turn the tide on this recent surge in COVID,” he said. “Mask yourself if you are outside your home or outside where distancing is impossible, and get vaccinated as soon as possible if you weren’t.”

Dallas County

Dallas County reported two more COVID-19 deaths and 1,009 new coronavirus cases on Thursday.

Of the new cases, 834 were confirmed and 175 likely. The numbers bring the county’s total cases to 329,298, including 281,955 confirmed and 47,343 probable. The death toll is 4,240.

The average number of new daily cases in the county in the past two weeks is 942. For the previous 14-day period, the average was 491.

The county reported that 717 people were hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 1,405,084 people in Dallas county have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 1,165,153 – 53.4% of the county’s population 12 and older – are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 15,186 more cases were reported Thursday, including 14,920 new cases and 266 older ones recently reported by laboratories.

The state also reported 120 COVID-19 deaths, increasing its number to 52,787.

Of the new cases, 11,975 were confirmed and 2,945 were likely. Of the older cases, 171 were confirmed and 95 were likely.

The state’s total number of cases is now 3,278,469, including 2,771,471 confirmed and 506,998 probable.

There are a total of 10,791 hospital admissions in the state, including 2,528 in North Texas.

According to the state, 15,504,987 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine while 12,963,159 – 53.9% of the state’s population 12 and older – are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant county

Tarrant County reported three deaths and 815 cases on Thursday.

Of the new cases, 745 were confirmed and 70 were likely. The numbers bring the total of cases in the county to 282,806, including 235,841 confirmed and 46,965 probable. The death toll is 3,692.

The county reported that 869 people were hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 1,048,793 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 897,370 – 51.6% of the county’s population 12 and older – are fully vaccinated.

On Thursday, JPS Health Network became the newest Texas hospital group planning to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for employees.

Tarrant County Hospital District, which also includes John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, announced the vaccine request pending FDA approval of the vaccines.

In a letter to more than 7,200 JPS employees, President and CEO Robert Earley said the decision was made because of the “dramatic increase in the number of seriously ill patients with COVID-19 due to the rising Delta variant.”

Collin County

The state added 199 cases to Collin County’s total on Thursday. No other deaths were reported.

Of the new cases, 165 were confirmed and 34 likely. The numbers bring the total number of cases in the county to 100,737, including 82,256 confirmed and 18,481 probable. The death toll is 870.

The county reported that 330 people were hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 630,632 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 548,284 – 63.4% of the county’s population 12 and older – are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 499 cases Thursday. No other deaths were reported.

The newly reported cases bring the total number of cases in the county to 83,129, including 60,671 confirmed and 22,458 probable. The death toll is 634.

The county reported that 165 people were hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 493,463 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 436,343 – 58.2% of the county’s population 12 and older – are fully vaccinated.

Other counties

The Texas Department of State Health Services has provided coverage for these other North Texas counties. In some counties, new data may not be reported every day.

The latest numbers are:

Rockwall County: 13,327 cases (10,445 confirmed and 2,882 likely), 161 deaths.
Kaufman County: 18,041 cases (14,762 confirmed and 3,279 likely), 280 deaths.
Ellis County: 24,820 cases (20,138 confirmed and 4,682 likely), 329 deaths.
Johnson County: 21,619 cases (18,168 confirmed and 3,451 likely), 393 deaths.

Staff member Lauren Girgis and KXAS-TV (NBC5) contributed to this report.

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