If you need an ICU bed in Ellis County right now, tough luck.
Days after the City of Waxahachie reinstituted COVID-19 mitigation measures that limit occupancy in restaurants and non-exempt businesses, data from the county shows the novel coronavirus is anything but contained.
According to statistics posted on December 8, 2020 to the the Ellis County COVID-19 dashboard, all ICU beds in the county are currently full.
Of the 18 total ICU beds, 12 beds or 67% are filled with COVID-19 patients, meaning that anyone who suffers an ailment or injury that requires intensive care for the time being will need to be transported outside the county.
Moreover, 84% of all hospital beds in the county are occupied.
The number of active COVID-19 cases in Waxahachie has risen from 115 to 142, a 23% rise in cases in one week.
Three more COVID-19 sufferers in the city have died due to complications brought on by the virus, bringing the total number of fatalities related to the virus to 55 in Waxahachie.
Countywide, there have been 8,853 total cases of COVID-19 since the pandemic began, of which an estimated 8,337 have recovered (94%), and 129 cases have ended in death (1.5%).