96 more COVID-19 deaths reported in Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties

Dallas, Collin, Denton and Tarrant counties together almost tallied triple-digit COVID-19 fatalities on Friday, with 96 deaths added to their collective toll.

Dallas County reported 2,065 new coronavirus cases Friday, as well as 31 more deaths from COVID-19 — one of the highest single-day tolls of the pandemic.

Three of the new cases involved the more-contagious B.1.1.7 variant of the virus, according to the county.

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

Six victims were Mesquite residents: a man in his 50s, a man in his 70s, two women in their 80s and two men in their 90s. All but the man in his 50s and one of the women in her 80s lived in long-term care facilities.

The other victims were four Garland residents, a man in his 60s who lived at a long-term care facility, a woman in her 70s, a man in his 80s and a woman in her 80s who lived at a long-term care facility; three Grand Prairie residents, a woman in her 40s, a woman in her 50s and a man in his 90s; and a University Park woman in her 80s.

None of the victims were known not to have health conditions that put them at higher risk for COVID-19 complications, officials said.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that January and February would be difficult months but that the county’s numbers should begin to improve by March as more and more people are fully vaccinated against the virus.

“Please know that we are working every day to get better at the delivery of this vaccine and are committed to an equitable distribution of this vaccine, taking it to the most vulnerable populations, so that we can prevent many hospitalizations and save as many lives as possible,” Jenkins said.

Of the new cases, 1,843 were confirmed and 222 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s case total to 243,726 — 215,443 confirmed cases and 28,283 probable ones. The death toll stands at 1,975.

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 Thursday, 1,139 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 500 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state’s data, 99,307 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 17,395 are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 22,646 more cases were reported Friday — 21,840 new cases and 806 older cases that were recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 422 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 33,707.

Of the new cases, 17,862 were confirmed and 3,978 were probable. Of the older cases, 372 were confirmed and 434 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the state’s total to 2,211,289 — 1,935,747 confirmed cases and 275,542 probable cases.

There were 13,344 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 3,697 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Thursday, 22.0% 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 16.6% as of Thursday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 12.2%. 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, 1,372,480 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 228,314 are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 1,864 coronavirus cases and 38 deaths Friday.

The county has been reporting higher death numbers on Fridays because of when it receives death-certificate information from the state. Twelve of the latest deaths were from December and 26 were from this month.

Eleven of the latest victims were Fort Worth residents: four men in their 60s, three women in their 70s and three men and a woman in their 80s. Seven more lived in Arlington: a man and a woman in their 60s, three men and a woman in their 70s and a man in his 80s.

The other victims were four North Richland Hills residents, a man and a woman in their 60s, a man in his 80s and a woman older than 90; two Benbrook men in their 60s; two Hurst residents, a woman in her 70s and a man in his 80s; two Mansfield residents, a man in his 60s and a woman older than 90; an Azle woman in her 80s; a Bedford woman in her 80s; a Blue Mound man in his 70s; a Crowley man in his 80s; an Edgecliff Village man in his 60s; a Euless man in his 80s; a Forest Hill woman in her 80s; a River Oaks man in his 50s; a Watauga man in his 40s; and a White Settlement man in his 80s.

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

Of the new cases, 1,480 were confirmed and 384 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 203,174 — 175,778 confirmed cases and 27,396 probable cases. The death toll stands at 1,991.

According to the county, 1,350 people were hospitalized with the virus as of Thursday.

According to the state’s data, 74,542 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 7,365 are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added 927 coronavirus cases and 12 deaths to Collin County’s totals Friday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 781 were confirmed and 146 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 66,967 — 57,759 confirmed cases and 9,208 probable cases. The death toll stands at 518.

According to the county, 513 people were hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state’s data, 36,746 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 6,090 are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 656 coronavirus cases and a record high 15 deaths Friday.

The latest victims included three Carrollton residents: two men older than 80 and a woman older than 80 who lived at Prestonwood Rehabilitation and Nursing Center.

Two victims were Flower Mound residents, a man older than 80 and a woman older than 80 who lived at Rosewood Assisted Living; two were Frisco residents, a man in his 70s who lived at Landing at Watermere and a woman in her 70s; and two were Lewisville women, one in her 70s who lived at Lake Village Nursing and Rehab and one in her 80s.

The other victims were a Corinth man in his 60s, a Fort Worth woman in her 70s, a Little Elm woman in her 70s, a Plano woman older than 80 who was a resident of Prestonwood Court, and a man and a woman, both older than 80, who lived in unincorporated Denton County.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 49,600 — 39,818 confirmed cases and 9,782 probable cases. The death toll stands at 283.

According to the county, 186 people were hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state’s data, 21,598 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 3,337 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: 8,691 cases (7,260 confirmed and 1,431 probable), 83 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 12,195 cases (10,605 confirmed and 1,590 probable), 163 deaths.
• Ellis County: 17,459 cases (15,369 confirmed and 2,090 probable), 213 deaths.
• Johnson County: 15,446 cases (13,716 confirmed and 1,730 probable), 224 deaths.