Dallas County reports 10 deaths from COVID-19 as the spread of the virus shows signs of slowing down

Updated at 17:28: Revised to include statewide data.

Dallas County reported an additional 10 deaths from COVID-19 and 215 new cases of coronavirus on Wednesday.

Eight of the latest victims were Dallas residents: a woman in her 30s, three men and two women in her 60s, a man in her 70s and a man in her 80s. The others were a DeSoto man in his 50s. years and a Seagoville man in his 70s. All 10 had underlying high-risk health conditions.

County judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that, thanks to the increasing number of vaccinations, the local spread of the virus has slowed significantly.

The virus’s reproducibility number, or Rt, is currently 0.69, Jenkins said – meaning that each case of COVID-19 results in an additional 0.69 cases. An Rt below 1 means that the outbreak is decreasing.

“That number ties with the sharpest drop we’ve seen since COVID’s inception,” said Jenkins.

Of the new cases, 182 were confirmed and 33 were likely. The numbers bring the county’s grand total of cases to 287,451, including 250,028 confirmed and 37,423 probable. The death toll is 3,330.

Health officials use hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and visits to emergency rooms as key indicators to track the real-time impact of COVID-19 in the county. In the 24-hour period ended on Tuesday, 237 patients with COVID-19 were in intensive care at hospitals in the municipality. During the same period, 335 visits to the emergency room were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 466,438 people in Dallas County received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 245,212 – 12.2% of the county’s population aged 16 and over – are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 5,076 cases were reported on Wednesday, including 4,746 new cases and 330 older cases recently reported by labs.

The state also recorded 179 deaths from COVID-19, bringing its number to 45,879.

Of the new cases, 4,034 were confirmed and 712 were likely. Of the oldest cases, 250 were confirmed and 80 were likely.

The total number of cases in the state is now 2,731,270, including 2,355,666 confirmed and 375,604 probable.

There are 3,915 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 824 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Tuesday, 5.1% of patients in the region of the hospital that covers the Dallas-Fort Worth area were patients with COVID-19 – below the 15% limit the state has used to define high hospitalizations.

The seven-day average positivity rate across the state for molecular testing, based on the date of collection of the test sample, was 6.4% on Tuesday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 2.5%. A molecular test is considered to be more accurate and is sometimes also called a PCR test; an antigen test is also called a rapid test. Governor Greg Abbott said a positivity rate above 10% is a cause for concern.

According to the state, 5,704,319 people in Texas received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 2,946,045 – 13.1% of the state’s population aged 16 and over – are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported nine deaths and 323 cases on Wednesday.

The latest victims include three residents of Hurst – a woman in her 60s and a man and woman in her 70s; an Euless woman in her fifties; a Fort Worth woman in her 70s; a woman from Grand Prairie in her 60s; a Haltom City woman over 90; a Mansfield woman in her 80s; and a River Oaks man in his 70s. All nine had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Of the new cases, 222 were confirmed and 101 were likely. The numbers bring the county’s total cases to 248,102, including 210,021 confirmed and 38,081 probable. The death toll is 3,147.

According to the city, 257 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 355,436 people in Tarrant County received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 199,026 – 12.5% ​​of the county’s population aged 16 and over – are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added three deaths and 11 cases to the Collin County total on Wednesday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, eight were confirmed and three were likely. The numbers bring the county’s total cases to 85,326, including 71,277 confirmed and 14,049 probable cases. The death toll is 773.

According to the city, 146 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 218,832 people in Collin County received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 119,813 – 14.9% of the county’s population aged 16 and over – are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 236 cases on Wednesday. No additional deaths were reported.

The new reported cases bring the county’s total cases to 70,579, including 52,542 confirmed and 18,037 probable cases. The death toll is 447.

According to the municipality, 42 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 151,477 people in Denton County received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 95,167 – 13.5% of the county’s population aged 16 or older – are fully vaccinated.

Other counties

The Texas Department of Health Services has taken over the reports from these other counties in North Texas. In some counties, new data may not be reported every day.

The last numbers are:

• Rockwall County: 10,883 cases (8,926 confirmed and 1,957 probable), 141 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 15,280 cases (12,915 confirmed and 2,365 likely), 232 deaths.
• Ellis County: 21,602 cases (18,271 confirmed and 3,331 probable), 299 deaths.
• Johnson County: 19,009 cases (16,314 confirmed and 2,695 probable), 345 deaths.