Dallas County added another 1,243 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 on Monday, along with another 15 deaths attributed to the virus. Meanwhile, county officials warn of projections that 1,500 people could be hospitalized with the virus in the county by Jan. 5, which could lead to “less than ideal care” in Dallas county hospitals.
Of the cases notified on Monday, the county said that 1,142 were confirmed cases and 101 were probable cases (antigen test), bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county in March to 167,900 and the number of probable cases (antigen test) to 20,223. The total number of confirmed and probable cases in the municipality is now 188,123. In the past seven days, Dallas County authorities have confirmed 13,583 confirmed and probable cases of the virus.
“Today we added 1,243 cases and announced an additional 15 deaths in the battle against COVID. We started the day with 27 ICU rooms available in all Dallas County hospitals,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement. “UT Southwestern projects that the number of our hospitals will be somewhere between our current level and 1,500 COVID cases in hospitals on January 5. If we reach the upper limit of this number, we will pass through ICU beds and be forced to have less than ideal care. “
The last 15 victims include a man in Garland’s 40s who died in palliative care; a man in his fifties, a resident of a long-term care facility; a woman in her 50s from Dallas; a woman in her 60s from Dallas who was a resident of a long-term care facility; a man in his 60s in Dallas; a woman in her 70s from Dallas who died in palliative care; a woman in her 70s from Dallas; a man in his 80s from Dallas who died in palliative care; a man in Lancaster’s 60s; a 60-year-old man from Farmers Branch; a man in Irving’s 70s; a man in his 70s in Mesquite; a woman in her 70s in Mesquite; a man in Rowlett’s 70s; a woman in her 80s from DeSoto. All patients were hospitalized and all but one, a 70-year-old man from Mesquite, had underlying health problems.
County officials said on Monday there were 1,580 deaths in the county attributed to the virus. In the summer, Dallas County Director of Health and Human Services, Dr. Philip Huang, said COVID-19 is the third leading cause of death in the county, behind heart disease and cancer.
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The county said the provisional 7-day average for new confirmed and probable cases per test collection date for CDC week 50 was 1,722, representing a rate of 65.3 new cases per 100,000 residents daily.
In the past 30 days, there have been 4,955 cases of COVID-19 in schoolchildren and employees reported in more than 764 separate K-12 schools in Dallas County, including 692 employees. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 21 school nurses have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Jenkins issued an alert to those who planned traditional gatherings on New Year’s Eve, urging them to reconsider their plans and to take precautions against the spread of the virus.
“To help our health heroes help you, please make smart decisions and follow the advice of doctors this New Year’s season. Wear your mask when you’re around people you don’t live with and avoid crowds and meetings. Everyone we must think of ways to celebrate the New Year that is safe, not just for us, but for those who will inevitably get the virus from the people who contracted it this New Year, “said Jenkins. “It may not be you, but your grandmother or someone else’s grandmother who pays a high price for your decision to have a traditional New Year’s celebration. Please help make the small sacrifice of patriotism to keep our community and our country strong until everyone who wants the vaccine can get it and can have the opportunity to protect them from the virus. “