Nearly 200 patients with COVID-19 were being treated in Denton County hospitals as of Jan. 20, but that number was starting to trend downward for the first time in months.

Denton County intensive care units remained taxed as residents and health professionals continued to fight the virus that has infected tens of thousands and killed hundreds throughout the county.

The number of confirmed COVID-19 hospitalizations was at 196 as of Jan. 20, down from a high of 235 virus patients nine days earlier, according to the county’s dashboard.

More than 14,000 people were known to have an active case of the virus in Denton County as of Jan. 20. Eight new deaths were reported that day, bringing the county’s death total to 265.

“We ask for your thoughts and prayers for the families and friends of these eight individuals who have passed away due to COVID-19,” Denton County Judge Andy Eads said in a statement. “While we all await our opportunity to be vaccinated, we must remember that utilizing masks, social distancing, and handwashing are practices we must continue to utilize to slow the spread of COVID-19 within our communities and families.”

Here is how the numbers broke down for the municipalities of Lewisville, Flower Mound and Highland Village.

• Lewisville: 2,083 active, 4,804 recovered, 47 dead
• Flower Mound: 1,301 active, 2.387 recovered, 10 dead
• Highland Village: 270 active, 534 recovered, six dead

Matt Richardson, the county’s director of public health, told commissioners Jan. 19 that the county was continuing to receive thousands of new doses of the Moderna vaccine. The county had already inoculated roughly 4,600 people, he said at the time, with 6,000 more vaccines in hand.

These numbers accounted for only a small portion of the number of people on Denton County’s vaccine waitlist, which totaled roughly 110,000 on Jan. 19, Richardson said.

Explore how hospitalization numbers have changed over time in the interactive chart below.