County continues to break COVID-19 infection records
COVID-19 isn’t giving Wichita County any breaks to begin the new year.
Wichita County again recorded record numbers, with a reported 1,099 new infections in the week ending Tuesday evening, as well as 125 residents hospitalized, 34 of those in critical condition.
A record 333 positive tests were reported to the health district Monday alone, as hospitals, pharmacies and healthcare providers have begun administering their first rounds of vaccines.
Fourteen county residents died of the novel Coronavirus in the past week in the following age groups: 50-59, one; 60-69 -six; 70-79 - five; and 80-89 - two. The total number of deaths attributed to COVID-19 in Wichita County now stands at 212.
Wichita County also reported 848 recoveries this week, leaving 3328 active cases in the county.
Vaccinations
Doses of the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines have been, and continue to be shipped to Wichita County healthcare providers and pharmacies.
The first doses were earmarked for those in what has been identified as being in the 1A group - healthcare workers, firefighters, EMS workers and others in extended direct contact with potential infected individuals. Group 1B, which are those over 65 years old, and those with chronic health conditions will begin receiving doses next.
Lou Kreidler, County Health Director, addressed the confusion surrounding the rollout and order of vaccine during a meeting of the Wichita Falls City Council Monday morning.
“We have begun receiving vaccines into our community,” Kreidler told council members. “I know there has been frustration from the community that we are serving group 1A first, prior to moving to group 1B. The Health District met early with United Regional Healthcare System, Electra Memorial Hospital, The Clinics of North Texas and the Community Healthcare Center to discuss the vaccine we were to receive.
“We made the decision that we would work together as a community to insure that individuals in group 1A were vaccinated first,” she said. “The individuals in that group are the individuals who care for our community when they are sick.”
Kreidler continued, “We have seen over and over again in the past 10 months where healthcare entities have suffered catastrophic staffing issues and our first priority had to be insuring we have a protected healthcare workforce.”
Kreidler went on to say “The Clinics of North Texas has begun vaccinating individuals in group 1B (65 and older, or those with chronic illnesses) as we have. United Regional Healthcare System is receiving more vaccine this week and is vaccinating additional healthcare facilities and have a plan to begin vaccinating individuals in group 1B who are currently patients in their United Regional Physicians Group.”
“The Health District has started a waiting list for those individuals who are in group 1A and 1B. We received 500 doses of vaccine and as of about 3 o’clock today we will have administered all of those doses.
“You can get your name on a list either by calling 940-761-7909 or we have a new line which will allow you to sign up online. I ask that you only sign up once. If you sign up by phone, it’s not necessary to do so online, or vise versa. I also ask that if you are not in either group 1A or 1B, you do not sign up at this time.”
“We expect to continue to have increasing numbers of vaccines coming to our community, and that by Spring, the vaccine will be widely available,” Kreidler said
In addition to the multidose vaccines that are arriving in Wichita County daily, free testing for COVID-19 will continue indefinitely at the Wichita Falls MPEC.
As of Tuesday evening, the Texas Department of health Services website reported that 2,655 Wichita County residents have received the vaccine. A total of 439,502 Texans have taken the shot.
In the meanwhile, health officials urge everyone to continue wearing a mask, social distancing and frequent hand washing.
Thus far, a total of 66,713 Wichita County residents had been tested for COVID-19, with 11,691 of those positive since March 18, 2020. Of those, 8,151 have recovered. The number of tests pending Tuesday evening was 1,117.
FREE TESTING CONTINUES
Due to the high percent age of cases locally, free drive-through testing is now being offered by WellHealth indefinitely in the parking lot of the MPEC Center in Wichita Falls. The hours of operation are 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Friday; and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.
The latest detailed information on hospitalizations released by the WFWC Public Health District include:
Total Wichita County Hospitalizations = 125
Stable = 91
Critical = 34
0-5
No hospitalizations
6-10
Stable - 1
11-19
Stable - 2
20 - 29
Stable - 2
Critical - 1
30 - 39
No hospitalizations
40 - 49
Stable - 8
Critical - 3
50 - 59
Stable - 10
Critical - 4
60 - 69
Stable - 21
Critical - 8
70 - 79
Stable - 22
Critical - 13
80+
Stable - 25
Critical - 5
Wichita County New Covid Cases by Month
(First case reported here March 18)
March 38
April 27
May 19
June 279
July 539
August 422
September 548
October 2,194
November 3,054
Dec. 3,927
Jan. (Thru Jan. 4.) 644 Total cases reported
Total cases reported 11,691
