Some medical organizations called Monday for mandatory vaccines of health care personnel as rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations in the United States threaten to reach levels that haven’t been seen since earlier surges of the pandemic.
The increasing infections are reflected in the latest numbers in Texas, where a total of 4,626 coronavirus hospitalizations were reported, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services — 1,146 of them in North Texas.
Dallas County had 350 hospitalized coronavirus patients as of Monday, according to data from the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council. That’s about three and a half times as many hospitalizations as the county had a month ago.
On Monday, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs announced it would require health care workers to get the vaccine — the first major federal agency to do so.
In a joint statement shared Monday with The Washington Post, 57 medical groups urged health care and long-term care employers to require employees to be vaccinated. The signatories included the American Medical Association, the American Nurses Association and the Texas Nurses Association.
“Rural and urban areas are seeing greater positivity rates and more hospital admissions, and the rate of both is rapidly climbing,” the Texas Nurses Association said in its own statement Monday, which was co-signed by eight other Texas nurses organizations. “In addition, hospitals have yet to recover from the nursing shortage in place before COVID and are now dealing with additional vacancies as exhausted nurses leave the profession.”
In mid-June, a federal judge threw out a lawsuit filed by employees of the Houston Methodist Hospital system to overturn a COVID-19 vaccine requirement for workers. Houston Methodist and Uvalde Memorial Hospital are the only two in Texas that require employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday, according to a list from Becker’s Hospital Review.
Parkland Health & Hospital System said Monday that it is having internal discussions about a vaccine mandate and expects to make a final decision soon.
“Parkland leadership believes a vaccine mandate for employees would be beneficial in terms of keeping our staff and patients protected from COVID infection,” said Mike Malaise, a Parkland spokesman.
Baylor Scott & White, Texas’ largest nonprofit health system, also said it was evaluating policies to see if a change to mandate vaccinations is needed.
“The delta variant is leading to exponentially increasing rates of severe illness and hospitalization, and like many other organizations, we are evaluating the circumstances, prioritizing patient and employee safety,” spokeswoman Julie Smith said.
Dallas-based Methodist Health System doesn’t require vaccination for employees.
“Methodist Health System strongly encourages everyone who is eligible to get the COVID-19 vaccine to do so, and that includes our employees,” spokesman Ryan Owens said.
Farmers Branch-based Tenet Healthcare, which also doesn’t require vaccination, touted its low staff infection rates as evidence of the success of its COVID-19 protocols.
“We continue to advocate for and communicate the significant benefits of COVID vaccinations to everyone in our communities and especially to our own staff,” Tenet spokeswoman Lesley Bogdanow said.
Hospital staffing is a concern as cases and hospitalizations increased, particularly because of the more contagious delta variant.
Stephen Love, president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, said that though area hospitals would have enough bed and PPE capacity, staffing shortages are a possibility — as they were in January, particularly among nurses, respiratory therapists and clinical treatment team members.
Dallas County
Dallas County reported 22 more COVID-19 deaths and 3,068 new coronavirus cases in the past week.
Of the new cases, 2,564 were confirmed and 504 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s overall case total to 312,919, including 268,112 confirmed and 44,807 probable. The death toll is 4,183.
The average number of new daily cases in the county for the last two weeks is 345. For the previous 14-day period, the average was 141.
According to the state, 1,327,162 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 1,130,240 — 51.8% of the county’s population 12 and older — are fully vaccinated.
Texas
The state reported 36,263 more cases in the past week, including 27,921 confirmed cases and 8,342 probable cases.
The state also reported 201 COVID-19 deaths over the past week, raising its toll to 51,853.
The state’s case total is now 3,066,674, including 2,605,142 confirmed and 461,532 probable.
There are a total of 4,626 hospitalizations in the state, including 1,146 in North Texas.
According to the state, 14,623,919 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 12,556,906 — 52.2% of the state’s population 12 and older — are fully vaccinated.
Tarrant County
Tarrant County reported 12 deaths and 3,228 cases in the past week.
Of the new cases, 2,426 were confirmed and 802 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 270,663, including 225,497 confirmed and 45,166 probable. The death toll is 3,619.
The county reported that 401 people were hospitalized with the virus.
According to the state, 990,998 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 870,725 — 50.1% of the county’s population 12 and older — are fully vaccinated.
Collin County
The state added three deaths and 1,043 cases to Collin County’s totals in the past week.
Of the new cases, 865 were confirmed and 178 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 95,185, including 77,568 confirmed and 17,617 probable. The death toll is 858.
The county reported that 172 people were hospitalized with the virus.
According to the state, 604,052 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 534,901 — 61.8% of the county’s population 12 and older — are fully vaccinated.
Denton County
Denton County reported two deaths and 823 cases in the past week.
The numbers bring the county’s case total to 78,924, including 57,582 confirmed and 21,342 probable. The death toll is 630.
The county reported that 60 people were hospitalized with the virus.
According to the state, 471,695 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 415,371 — 55.4% of the county’s population 12 and older — are fully vaccinated.
Other counties
The Texas Department of State Health Services has taken over reporting for these other North Texas counties. In some counties, new data may not be reported every day.
The latest numbers are:
- Rockwall County: 12,275 cases (9,701 confirmed and 2,574 probable), 159 deaths.
- Kaufman County: 16,855 cases (13,875 confirmed and 2,980 probable), 268 deaths.
- Ellis County: 23,367 cases (19,123 confirmed and 4,244 probable), 325 deaths.
- Johnson County: 20,453 cases (17,236 confirmed and 3,217 probable), 381 deaths.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
