Dallas County reports 1,978 coronavirus cases, 27 deaths; Tarrant County tops 200,000 cases

Dallas County reported 1,978 new coronavirus cases Thursday, as well as 27 more deaths from COVID-19.

In Tarrant County, Thursday’s new cases pushed the county past 200,000 total cases of the virus, making it the third Texas county to reach that milestone, after Harris and Dallas counties.

Fourteen of the latest Dallas County victims lived in Dallas: a woman in her 30s, three men in their 50s, three men in their 60s, a man and four women in their 70s, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 90s. One of the men in his 50s, the man in his 70s and the woman in her 90s were residents of long-term care facilities.

The other victims were three Grand Prairie residents, a man and a woman in their 70s and a woman in her 90s; two Garland residents, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 80s who lived at a long-term care facility; two Mesquite residents, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 90s who lived at a long-term care facility; a Cedar Hill woman in her 60s; a Cockrell Hill man in his 50s; an Irving woman in her 80s who lived at a long-term care facility; a Lancaster man in his 70s; a Richardson woman in her 80s who lived at a long-term care facility; and a Rowlett man in his 60s.

The Richardson woman did not have underlying health conditions that put her at higher risk of COVID-19 complications, officials said.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that more than 300,000 people have registered with the county to receive the vaccine and that supplies remain limited — but he hopes the actions of President Joe Biden, along with more federal funding and the approval of another vaccine candidate, will help change that.

“All of these things should dramatically increase our vaccine allotment over time, but for now, it’s important to sign up wherever you can and be patient,” Jenkins said.

Of the new cases, 1,412 were confirmed and 566 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 241,661, including 213,600 confirmed cases and 28,061 probable cases. The death toll stands at 1,944.

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, 1,148 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 558 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state’s data, 95,316 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 16,045 are fully vaccinated.

Jenkins said Thursday night that more than 18,500 people have been vaccinated at the Fair Park mega-site, which opened last week. All the doses for this week have been used, so the site will be closed Friday and Saturday.

Texas

Across the state, 22,360 more cases were reported Thursday, including 21,422 new cases and 938 older cases that were recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 441 COVID-19 deaths, the second-most on a single day, raising its toll to 33,285.

Of the new cases, 18,370 were confirmed and 3,052 were probable. Of the older cases, 594 were confirmed and 344 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the state’s total to 2,188,643, including 1,917,513 confirmed cases and 271,130 probable cases.

There are 13,564 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 3,756 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Wednesday, 22.3% of patients in the hospital region covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area were COVID-19 patients — above 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 16.5% as of Wednesday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 11.0%. 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’s data, 1,297,260 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 203,028 are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 1,789 coronavirus cases and 26 deaths Thursday, surpassing 200,000 total cases of COVID-19.

Nine of the victims were from Fort Worth: a man in his 50s, four men and a woman in their 60s and two women in their 70s. Seven more were from Arlington: a man in his 60s, a man and a woman in their 70s, a man and a woman in their 80s and a man and a woman older than 90.

The other victims were four Bedford residents, two men, in their 40s and 70s, and two women, in their 80s and older than 90; a Colleyville man in his 60s; a Hurst man older than 90; a Keller man older than 90; a Mansfield woman in her 80s; a Richland Hills woman in her 80s; and a man in his 80s who lived in unincorporated Tarrant County.

All but two had underlying high-risk health conditions, officials said.

Of the new cases, 1,527 were confirmed and 262 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 201,310, including 174,298 confirmed cases and 27,012 probable cases. The death toll stands at 1,953.

According to the county, 1,376 people are hospitalized with the virus as of Wednesday.

According to the state’s data, 68,656 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 6,553 are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added 620 coronavirus cases and 16 deaths to Collin County’s totals Thursday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 479 were confirmed and 141 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 66,040, including 56,978 confirmed cases and 9,062 probable cases. The death toll stands at 506.

According to the county, 507 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state’s data, 33,832 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 5,242 are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 750 coronavirus cases and three deaths Thursday.

The latest victims were a Carrollton woman in her 70s who lived at Autumn Leaves of Carrollton, a Corinth man in his 60s and a Flower Mound woman older than 80.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 48,945, including 39,347 confirmed cases and 9,598 probable cases. The death toll stands at 268.

According to the county, 184 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state’s data, 20,598 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 2,761 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: 8,582 cases (7,165 confirmed and 1,417 probable), 82 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 12,094 cases (10,516 confirmed and 1,578 probable), 160 deaths.
• Ellis County: 17,297 cases (15,246 confirmed and 2,051 probable), 209 deaths.
• Johnson County: 15,235 cases (13,547 confirmed and 1,688 probable), 220 deaths.