Dallas County reports 614 coronavirus cases, 24 deaths; Jenkins says numbers are moving in right direction

Dallas County reported 614 new coronavirus cases Thursday, as well as 24 more deaths from COVID-19.

The latest victims include 13 men and 11 women ranging from their 50s to their 90s.

Thirteen victims were from Dallas, two from Irving, two from Lancaster, two from Richardson, and one each from Cedar Hill, DeSoto, Duncanville, Hutchins, and Mesquite.

Five victims were residents of long-term care facilities, and all but two had underlying health conditions.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that the cases will return to more accurate numbers in the next few days after they had been artificially low after testing sites closed due to last week’s inclement weather. While the numbers will look higher, Jenkins said the county is still trending in the right direction.

“Our death totals should begin to decline,” Jenkins said. “The number of deaths are a result of the number of COVID positive cases in the previous month. As the numbers of COVID positive cases are trending lower, the number of deaths will also decline.”

Of the new cases, 488 were confirmed and 126 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s overall case total to 279,108, including 244,335 confirmed and 34,773 probable. The death toll is 2,923.

Health officials use hospitalizations, intensive-care admissions and emergency room visits as key metrics to track the real-time impact of COVID-19 in the county. In the 24-hour period that ended Wednesday, 529 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 428 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 268,255 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 135,128 are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 7,497 more cases were reported Thursday, including 7,011 new cases and 486 older ones recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 305 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 42,285.

Of the new cases, 4,912 were confirmed and 2,099 were probable. Of the older cases, 304 were confirmed and 182 were probable.

The state’s case total is now 2,621,181, including 2,269,871 confirmed and 351,310 probable.

There are 6,724 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 1,748 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Wednesday, 10.6% of patients in the hospital region covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area were COVID-19 patients — below the 15% threshold the state has used to define high hospitalizations.

The seven-day average positivity rate statewide for molecular tests, based on the date of test specimen collection, was 12.7% as of Wednesday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 6.1%. A molecular test is considered more accurate and is sometimes also called a PCR test; an antigen test is also called a rapid test. Gov. Greg Abbott has said a positivity rate above 10% is cause for concern.

According to the state, 3,265,754 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 1,599,222 are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 758 coronavirus cases and 13 deaths Thursday.

Most of the victims were in their 60s or older, but one was a Fort Worth man in his 20s. All but two had underlying high-risk health conditions, officials said.

Four of the victims lived in Fort Worth and three were Arlington residents. One each lived in Grapevine, Hurst, Kennedale, Mansfield, North Richland Hills and River Oaks.

Of the new cases, 487 were confirmed and 271 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 240,416, including 204,750 confirmed and 35,666 probable. The death toll is 2,818.

According to the county, 541 people are hospitalized with the virus as of Wednesday.

According to the state, 204,000 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 127,206 are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added 250 coronavirus cases and nine deaths to Collin County’s totals Thursday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 142 were confirmed and 108 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 82,390, including 69,453 confirmed and 12,937 probable. The death toll is 712.

According to the county, 272 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 126,345 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 54,986 are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 556 coronavirus cases and no new deaths Thursday.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s case total to 63,122, including 48,310 confirmed and 14,812 probable. The death toll is 398.

According to the county, 104 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 88,236 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 34,513 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: 10,470 cases (8,647 confirmed and 1,823 probable), 122 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 14,662 cases (12,548 confirmed and 2,114 probable), 213 deaths.
• Ellis County: 20,589 cases (17,859 confirmed and 2,730 probable), 272 deaths.
• Johnson County: 18,409 cases (15,957 confirmed and 2,452 probable), 313 deaths.