If you’re like most people, you’re probably experiencing pandemic fatigue. After months of grocery deliveries, social distancing, and constantly laundering cloth face masks, it’s normal to feel burnt out on dealing with the
COVID-19 pandemic. But as we soldier on, so does the virus—making it more important than ever to stay vigilant and keep practicing safety guidelines recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), especially during the holidays. When it comes to staying vigilant in your community of Dallas/Fort Worth, DispatchHealth has your back. We’ve rounded up the latest data on how COVID-19 is affecting your area, from ERs to local spread to death rates.
The Latest Numbers
Dallas/Fort Worth residents, here are the latest data on COVID-19 in your community as of December 14th, 2020:
- There have been 328,338 confirmed cases and 2,814 deaths in total since the start of the pandemic.
- Weekly hospitalization numbers have doubled since the beginning of September.
- Both suspected and confirmed COVID-19 ER visits have also been steadily rising since September.
- There are about 31 available ICU beds in Dallas County right now.
- 18-40 year olds make up about 45% of local COVID-19 cases. People aged 65 and older make up about 9% of cases.
- Around 1% percent of confirmed cases in the Dallas/Fort Worth area have resulted in death.
And here are national statistics you need to know:
- There have been 16,113,148 confirmed COVID-19 cases, 298,266 of which have resulted in death.
- Emergency room visits for coronavirus-like symptoms have been steadily increasing over the past two months.
- The majority of U.S. states show that 11-20% of PCR tests have been positive over the last seven days.
- 18-29 year olds make up about 23% of cases, the largest majority—but death rates are highest in older populations, with people aged 65 and older accounting for more than 80% of deaths.
Important Takeaways
While the nation waits with bated breath for an approved vaccine to become readily available, remember that the virus isn’t slowing down—it’s still spreading rapidly. After a dip in the national case count in August, numbers have been rising steadily across most of the country since September, and the CDC forecasts that they’ll only continue to rise over the next month. And with the holidays approaching, it’s essential that we all continue to do our part to prevent community spread—and that includes us at DispatchHealth!
Safe, Same-Day Medical Care Delivery
DispatchHealth provides convenient, affordable care for a wide variety of simple to complex illnesses within the comfort of your own home. When you request a visit, we’ll arrive on your doorstep within a few hours, equipped with most of the equipment you’ll find in an emergency room to treat a wide variety of conditions. We accept most major forms of medical insurance—including Medicare and Medicaid—and offer an affordable flat rate for uninsured patients. And we’re taking extensive precautions to protect our patients and staff from COVID-19. From wearing PPE to thoroughly sanitizing our vehicles and gear in between visits, you can trust that your safety is our top priority. So if you’re experiencing coronavirus-like symptoms (or need treatment for something else), don’t hesitate to get in touch!
Sources
DispatchHealth relies only on authoritative sources, including medical associations, research institutions, and peer-reviewed medical studies.
Sources referenced in this article:
- https://public.tableau.com/profile/cityofdallasdtxinnovationteam/vizhome/CityofDallasCOVID-19Dashboard/Dashboard1#!/vizhome/Book3_15862351183220/DFWRegionalCases
- https://www.dallascounty.org/Assets/uploads/docs/covid-19/hhs-summary/COVID-19-DCHHS-Summary-112420.pdf
- https://covid19.biglocalnews.org/county-maps/index.html?embed=stateCounty#/county/48113
- https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html
- https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_casesper100klast7days
- https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/
