Updated 8:20 p.m. April 4
Two more people in Tarrant County, including a Southlake resident, have died from the novel coronavirus, Tarrant County Public Health confirmed April 4.
One was an elderly Southlake resident with underlying health conditions, the county reported. The health department described the second as a younger Haltom City resident with no underlying health conditions. Both contracted the virus through community transmission, according to a health department statement.
"Sadly, their deaths are a reminder for everyone that we are seeing more COVID-19 disease across our community," Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in a statement.
The health department reports that the community spread level is "substantial." To date, there are 404 positive cases of the virus in the county, with nine deaths and 23 people who have recovered.
Updated 5:30 p.m. April 3
Officials with Tarrant County Public Health confirmed April 3 another death in the county due to complications from the novel coronavirus. Numbers indicate a total of seven deaths in the county from COVID-19.
The latest patient was a Fort Worth resident with underlying health conditions, TCPH Director Vinny Taneja said.
"We want residents of Tarrant County to continue to be mindful of basic preventative measures to protect themselves from COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses," Taneja said.
Including provisional cases, Tarrant County has a total of 383 confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 23 patients who have recovered.
Of seven deaths reported in the county, three patients were from Fort Worth, two were from Forest Hill, one was from Arlington, and one was from Hurst.
Updated 10:15 a.m. April 3
The city of Southlake announced April 2 that three city employees have tested positive for COVID-19. All three are employed at the Public Works Operations Facility located at 1950 E. Continental Blvd., Southlake, a city news release said. In light of this situation, City Manager Shana Yelverton has closed down the Public Works Operations building.
“We were notified last night and this morning of two additional positive tests for employees who worked out of the same location,” Yelverton said in a city news release. “Our main concern is for our employees. The next steps include testing essential employees who have been working at the facility.”
The city announced March 24 that a Public Works Operations employee had tested positive for the virus. The employee in question is a field employee and had no public interactions, according to the city news release. The city was notified about the two following cases at the beginning of April. Both employees had not been to work since mid-March and had no public interactions before then, according to the news release.
Essential employees at Public Works Operations who worked out of the building will be reassigned to work out of other facilities while the building is cleaned, according to the news release. They will be tested for COVID-19, cleared for work and reintroduced to the workplace with the guidance of the Tarrant County Public Health Department. The building is scheduled to reopen in two weeks, according to the city news release.
Updated 11:25 a.m. April 2
Tarrant County Public Health has confirmed three additional deaths in the county due to complications from the novel coronavirus. Two patients were residents of Forest Hill, and one was a resident of Fort Worth, according to a department news release.
Official numbers indicate a total of six deaths in Tarrant County from the COVID-19 virus.
All three recent deaths were elderly patients with underlying health conditions. Each patient was being monitored by Tarrant County Public Health, said Director Vinny Taneja.
“We express or deepest sympathies to the families,” Taneja said.
Including provisional cases, Tarrant County has 288 total confirmed cases of COVID-19, with 18 patients who have recovered.
There are 103 confirmed cases in Fort Worth, with six recoveries; 11 confirmed cases in Southlake, with two recoveries; 10 confirmed cases in Grapevine; eight confirmed cases in Keller; and seven confirmed cases in Colleyville.
Updated 3:05 p.m. April 1
Tarrant County Public Health has confirmed two additional deaths in Tarrant County due to coronavirus complications.
The two patients were an adult male from Hurst and an adult female from Fort Worth, according to a department news release. Tarrant County has a total of three confirmed COVID-19 deaths.
According to Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja, both patients had underlying health conditions. HIPAA laws prevent the department from disclosing any additional information, Taneja said.
“We want residents of Tarrant County to continue to be mindful of basic preventative measures to protect themselves from Covid-19 and other respiratory viruses,” Taneja said.
Tarrant County Public Health will investigate who patients may have come into contact with, the release said. Close contacts will be isolated, monitored for symptoms and tested if needed.
Including provisional cases, Tarrant County has 288 total confirmed cases of coronavirus in the county.
There are 103 confirmed cases in Fort Worth, 11 in Southlake, 10 in Grapevine, eight in Keller and seven in Colleyville. Among 18 patients that have recovered, six were from Fort Worth, two were from Southlake and one was from Colleyville.
Updated at 5:30 p.m. March 31
Grapevine-Colleyville ISD and Carroll ISD will remain closed until at least May 4, following an amended executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott on March 31. The districts will continue online learning and meal delivery during the closure.
The Fort Worth Police Department is reporting that two of its officers have tested positive for the coronavirus.
According to a department news release, the officers are in self-isolation at home and in "good spirits."
"We can confirm that both officers work in the same unit and had limited close contact with others while at work," FWPD said in a statement. "We have staff backtracking the movements and encounters of these officers with others, and they are notifying anyone that may be at risk and needs to self-isolate. We are also disinfecting the offices where they worked."
The number of cases in Tarrant County has increased to 273. This includes pending coronavirus cases that have been confirmed by lab reports. These are provisional case counts that are pending investigative data, according to Tarrant County Public Health. There are 11 of these cases in Southlake, 10 in Grapevine and seven in Colleyville.
Updated at 4:03 p.m. March 30
Tarrant County Public Health officials announced March 30 that the county will begin reporting all types of COVID-19 cases, including provisional cases that have been confirmed by lab reports but require additional investigative data.
“Until now, we have only been reporting confirmed cases, but, as the numbers in Tarrant County continue to increase, we want to provide the public with as much information as possible about the spread of COVID-19 in our communities,” said Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja.
According to Tarrant County Public Health, there are currently 155 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the county. There are 83 additional provisional cases that have been lab confirmed.
The county has reported one death due to coronavirus and eight persons who have recovered.
The city of Fort Worth has 52 confirmed active cases of COVID-19, while the city of Keller has seven confirmed active cases.
“The health and safety of all Tarrant County residents is our No. 1 priority,” Taneja said. “We want to be as transparent and open as possible, while also protecting the privacy and health information of everyone involved.”
Coronavirus updates from the week of March 22 can be found at this link.
