Parkland Memorial Hospital’s emergency room saw 997 patients on Tuesday, a one-day record for the hospital as the highly contagious omicron variant continues to send coronavirus cases soaring in North Texas and across the nation.

“We are full,” Dr. Joseph Chang, Parkland Health and Hospital System’s chief medical director, said in a prepared statement. “But we never turn people away.”

The surge in coronavirus hospitalizations has prompted Parkland to limit visitor hours to 1 to 4 p.m. Hospital officials urge people experiencing minor symptoms and seeking COVID-19 tests to avoid the hospital’s emergency room.

Wednesday’s emergency room numbers were not immediately available.

“It’s simple: People need to get vaccinated because this surge in hospitalizations due to COVID-19 is preventable,” Chang said.

Nationally, new coronavirus cases per day have more than doubled over the last two weeks, according to data kept by Johns Hopkins University. Thousands of flights have been canceled nationwide as airlines deal with COVID-related staffing shortages.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top U.S. infectious-disease expert, said Wednesday that there’s no need for families and friends who have been fully vaccinated and received a booster shot to cancel small home gatherings.

However, he said, “if your plans are to go to a 40- to 50-person New Year’s Eve party with all the bells and whistles and everybody hugging and kissing and wishing each other a happy new year, I would strongly recommend that this year we not do that.”

Texas received a shipment of the only antibody therapy used to treat omicron on Wednesday, just a few days after announcing that five infusion centers in the state had run out. The supply should cover all appointments scheduled through Jan. 1, said Lara Anton, a spokeswoman for the Texas Department of State Health Services.

Another shipment of the therapy, called sotrovimab, is expected to arrive next month. Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat COVID-19 early to keep patients from developing severe illness. Sotrovimab is the only approved therapy shown to work against omicron. Supply is short in the U.S.

Locally, omicron’s spread has forced temporary restaurant closures and prompted Dallas County to raise its color-coded COVID threat level to red, indicating a high risk of transmission.

Dallas County

Dallas County reported a five-day total of 5,371 new coronavirus cases and 19 new COVID-19 deaths Wednesday. The data is from Friday to Tuesday.

Of the new cases, 4,622 were confirmed and 749 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s overall case total to 431,067, including 363,429 confirmed and 67,638 probable. The death toll is 5,507.

The county’s average number of new daily cases over the last two weeks is 837. For the previous 14-day period, the average was 342.

The county reported that 333 people were hospitalized with the virus as of Tuesday.

According to the state, 1,720,534 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 1,474,190 — 59.9% of the county’s population 5 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 1,191 cases and two deaths Wednesday.

Of the new cases, 886 were confirmed and 305 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 382,465, including 314,089 confirmed and 68,376 probable. The death toll is 5,011.

The average number of new daily cases in the county over the last two weeks is 406, compared to an average of 396 for the previous two-week period.

The county reported that 473 people were hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 1,275,910 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 1,121,336 — 57.7% of the county’s population 5 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Texas

The state reported 14,286 more cases Wednesday, including 11,928 confirmed and 2,358 probable. It also reported 71 COVID-19 deaths Wednesday, raising its toll to 74,401.

The state’s case total is now 4,525,537, including 3,767,803 confirmed and 757,634 probable.

The average number of new daily cases in the state over the last two weeks is 11,445. For the previous 14-day period, the average was 3,328.

There are a total of 4,917 hospitalizations in the state, including 1,475 in North Texas.

According to the state, 19,290,741 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 16,438,943 — 61% of the state’s population 5 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Staff writer Allie Morris and The Associated Press contributed to this report.