Dallas County reports 15 coronavirus deaths, 152 cases; Tarrant County adds 2 deaths, 234 cases

Dallas County reported 15 more COVID-19 deaths and 152 new coronavirus cases Friday.

The latest victims were all in their 50s or older. Seven were men and eight were women, and all but one — a man in his 60s — had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Five of the victims were Dallas residents, four were from DeSoto, two lived in Grand Prairie and one each lived in Balch Springs, Duncanville, Garland and Richardson.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that one of the victims had received two doses of a coronavirus vaccine but was immunocompromised because of an organ transplant.

“Immunocompromised individuals are still vulnerable to this deadly virus even after vaccination,” Jenkins said. “If you have family members who are high-risk, it’s critical that you get the vaccine and avoid large crowds so that you can best protect them.”

Studies have shown that the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are about 90% effective at preventing cases of COVID-19 in people who have received both doses, while Johnson & Johnson’s one-dose vaccine is about 67% effective. All three are highly effective at preventing severe cases of the disease.

Of the new cases, 91 were confirmed and 61 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s overall case total to 295,251, including 254,822 confirmed and 40,429 probable. The death toll is 3,783.

According to Jenkins, the count of new cases Friday was likely low because of an issue with the state’s reporting system.

The average number of new daily cases in the county for the past two weeks is 242. For the previous 14-day period, the average was 276.

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, 198 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 425 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 907,705 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 528,374 — 26.1% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 3,474 more cases were reported Friday, including 3,201 new cases and 273 older ones recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 83 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 48,508.

Of the new cases, 2,225 were confirmed and 975 were probable. Of the older cases, 146 were confirmed and 127 were probable.

The state’s case total is now 2,837,382, including 2,436,571 confirmed and 400,407 probable.

There are 2,917 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 553 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Thursday, 3.4% 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 7.1% as of Thursday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 4.0%. 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, 9,836,891 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 6,260,744 — 27.9% of the state’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported two deaths and 234 cases Friday.

The latest victims were an Edgecliff Village man in his 70s and a Fort Worth man in his 60s. Both had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Of the new cases, 150 were confirmed and 84 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 254,188, including 214,032 confirmed and 40,156 probable. The death toll is 3,371.

According to the county, 163 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 668,378 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 427,295 — 26.4% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added three deaths and 170 cases to Collin County’s totals Friday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 101 were confirmed and 69 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 88,244, including 73,000 confirmed and 15,244 probable. The death toll is 811.

According to the county, 107 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 425,445 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 257,571 — 32.1% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 125 cases Friday. No additional deaths were reported.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s case total to 73,207, including 54,075 confirmed and 19,132 probable. The death toll is 479.

According to the county, 18 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 328,358 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 216,479 — 31.0% of the county’s population 16 and older — 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: 11,268 cases (9,166 confirmed and 2,102 probable), 152 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 15,673 cases (13,170 confirmed and 2,503 probable), 253 deaths.
• Ellis County: 22,359 cases (18,711 confirmed and 3,648 probable), 309 deaths.
• Johnson County: 19,493 cases (16,633 confirmed and 2,860 probable), 364 deaths.