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

As the number of coronavirus patients in North Texas continues to climb, hospitals are reporting fewer and fewer empty beds — including no available ICU beds for children in the region.

There were 75 staffed intensive-care beds for adults Thursday in the 19-county region, according to the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council. Twenty-three 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 ICU beds for children. A record-high number of pediatric COVID-19 patients — 73 — and an unusually large number of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, patients has resulted in the overall occupancy of children’s beds reaching about 95%.

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

“If the situation arises where we cannot accommodate a patient at our hospital, we will find a bed for them at an appropriate facility,” the statement said.

The health system that includes Children’s Medical Center Dallas and Children’s Medical Center Plano also said it was coping with a higher-than-usual volume of patients: “Our number of available beds changes very frequently throughout the day. We are prepared and equipped to provide care for children in North Texas.”

With vaccination rates higher among older populations, a larger proportion of COVID-19 cases in recent months have been among people 17 or younger — accounting for about 20% of Dallas County’s cases in April, May and June. From January to March that number was about 17%, and from October to December it was about 15%.

According to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council, there are about 1,550 ICU beds in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with about 600 of them in Dallas County — though those numbers can fluctuate. There are about 300 pediatric ICU beds in the region.

Last week, Gov. Greg Abbott announced actions to alleviate the surge in hospitalizations caused by the more-contagious delta variant, including turning to medical workers from out of state for help 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 need care.

“We need your help to turn the tide against this latest surge of COVID,” he said. “Mask up when you’re indoors anywhere besides your home or outside where distancing is not possible and get vaccinated as soon as possible if you haven’t been.”

Dallas County

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

Of the new cases, 834 were confirmed and 175 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s overall case total 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 for the last 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 labs.

The state also reported 120 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 52,787.

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

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

There are a total of 10,791 hospitalizations 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 Thursday.

Of the new cases, 745 were confirmed and 70 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total 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 latest Texas hospital group planning to make the COVID-19 vaccine mandatory for employees.

The Tarrant County hospital district, which includes John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, announced the vaccine requirement, pending FDA approval of the vaccines.

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

Collin County

The state added 199 cases to Collin County’s totals Thursday. No additional deaths were reported.

Of the new cases, 165 were confirmed and 34 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total 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 additional deaths were reported.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s case total 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 taken over reporting 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 probable), 161 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 18,041 cases (14,762 confirmed and 3,279 probable), 280 deaths.
• Ellis County: 24,820 cases (20,138 confirmed and 4,682 probable), 329 deaths.
• Johnson County: 21,619 cases (18,168 confirmed and 3,451 probable), 393 deaths.

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