WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — The Wichita Falls-Wichita County Public Health District reported Thursday 3 more deaths related to COVID-19.
Case 12,846 (70 – 79), Case 11,625 (60 – 69) and Case 8,979 (80+) bring the total number of COVID-19 related deaths in Wichita County since the pandemic began in March to 237.
No further information will be released out of respect for the families.
For more information on COVID-19 related deaths and how they are reported, click here.
Please find the age breakdown of COVID-19 related deaths in Wichita County to date below:
| 0-5 | 6-10 | 11-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-69 | 70-79 | 80+ |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 10 | 54 | 70 | 99 |
New Cases in Wichita County
The Public Health District also confirmed Thursday 156 new coronavirus cases in the county, bringing the current total case number to 13,068.
Communication and Marketing Director Lindsay Barker also reported Thursday 297 new recoveries from COVID-19 for a total of 9,937 recovered cases in the county to date.
Additionally, this continues a trend of over 250 recoveries a day this week, with 1,155 new recoveries being reported since Monday, January 11.
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Wichita County is under 3,000 for the first time in over two weeks, with 2,894 total active cases and 2,778 cases recovering from home.
Hospitalizations in Wichita County
116 COVID-19 patients were listed as hospitalized in Thursday’s COVID-19 report for Wichita County with 29 patients reported to be in critical condition.
Please find the hospitalization report below:
| 0-5 | 6-10 | 11-19 | 20-29 | 30-39 | 40-49 | 50-59 | 60-69 | 70-79 | 80+ | TOTAL | |
| Stable | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 24 | 30 | 87 |
| Critical | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 2 | 29 |
Officials with United Regional’s update of critical care capacity on Thursday, January 14 showed an increase in both the total number of patients and the number of critical care patients.
Officials with the City of Wichita Falls said per Gov. Greg Abbott’s Executive Order GA-32, if a Trauma Services Area has more than seven consecutive days that the percentage of total hospital capacity exceeds 15%, occupancies in the county will automatically be reduced to 50%.
City officials said as of Wednesday, December 30, the TSA rate in Wichita County is at 11.67%.
Between December 19 and January 8, 3023 new COVID-19 cases were reported in Wichita County. The weekly positivity rates were as follows:
- 21% for the week ending on December 25
- 23% for the week ending on January 1
- 22% for the week ending on January 8.
Based on the latest trends from the Health District, the estimate is over 1,400 new cases per week for the week ending February 26, 2021.
The highest weekly case amount was reported Friday, January 1, 2021, at 1,185 cases, which was in line with the original projection for that time at 1,200 cases per week.
The estimate of over 1,400 new cases per week would be an average of 200 new cases per day.
The continued increase in the number of COVID-19 positive Wichita County residents who are hospitalized continues to be of concern.
Using linear regression analysis based on the max daily hospitalization, if the trend continues at this current rate of increase, the projection for hospitalizations at mid-February could be as high as 150 per day.
In partnership with the Wichita Falls – Wichita County Public Health District, GoGetTested will be providing fast, easy and accessible COVID-19 testing for all.
GoGetTested has opened it’s COVID Response Operating System and mobile testing sites in Wichita Falls at the MPEC, located at 1000 5th Street in Wichita Falls.
All tests are free of charge, regardless of whether or not the individual being tested is insured.
Hours of operation for the site are 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday thru Friday and 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. You can schedule an appointment online, although an appointment is not required in order to be tested.
Hotline hours are 8 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday to Friday, and noon–2 p.m. Saturday and Sunday.
The Health District would like to remind everyone that coronavirus is now in our community and that the decisions we make now regarding social distancing and following the guidelines set by the CDC will directly impact how quickly our community recovers from this virus.
If anyone has questions and concerns regarding COVID-19 in Wichita County, click below to submit them to the health department via e-mail.
