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Dallas County reports nearly 1,100 new coronavirus cases, posting another 1-day high during record week

Dallas County reported 1,085 cases of COVID-19 on Friday, eclipsing the previous single-day high by several hundred cases as the spread of coronavirus through throughout North Texas accelerates.

Six more deaths from the virus were announced, raising the week’s toll to 42 in just six days. This has been the county’s deadliest week so far during the COVID-19 outbreak.

The most recent victims were a Grand Prairie man in his 60s, an Irving woman in her 60s, a Garland woman in her 60s, a Farmers Branch man in his 70s, an Irving man in his 70s and a Dallas woman in her 90s.

The county’s average daily number of cases has leaped from about 450 last week to 680 this week.

Friday’s new cases raise the county’s total to 23,675 — about nine cases for every 1,000 residents — including 393 deaths. The county does not report COVID-19 recoveries.

County health officials have said the spike in cases is part of an upward trend in COVID-19 spread that began over Memorial Day weekend.

County Judge Clay Jenkins urged residents to limit their Fourth of July celebrations to their own households to prevent another spike in cases in the coming weeks.

“We all value our traditions, our fireworks, our parades, our gatherings, our extended family traditions — but we’ve got to move from selfishness to sacrifice,” Jenkins said. “Not just sacrifice for our own families, but sacrifice for our community, because things are out of control right now.”

It is taking up to 10 days to receive test results, so the current rise in positive cases is from viral spread that occurred a week or more ago, Jenkins said in a written statement.

“It is imperative that we do not repeat the spike in cases we saw after Easter/Passover and Memorial Day,” he said.

Jenkins said that people will be asked to disperse if they’re gathering in groups — outdoor gatherings of more than 10 people are prohibited — and that he believes they will listen.

“We’re going to try to use very soft enforcement, recognizing that people are not criminals in doing in this,” he said.

Jenkins said that if people go out during the holiday weekend, they should wear face masks. Gov. Greg Abbott signed an executive order Thursday requiring Texans to wear face coverings in public or face a fine of up to $250.

Jenkins said the county’s public health committee would meet Friday evening to discuss options if cases spike in the coming weeks, such as doubling hospital capacity by adding temporary beds to rooms.

Steve Love, president and CEO of the Dallas-Fort Worth Hospital Council, reiterated Friday that the region’s hospital capacity and ventilator supply remain adequate for treating COVID-19 patients.

But the growing number of cases and hospitalizations are worrisome, as the disease’s doubling time shortens and indicates obvious community spread, he said in an email.

“If the trend continues, we might have to implement surge plans here in North Texas hospitals by late July,” Love said. “We absolutely need to slow the COVID-19 spread now to keep adequate hospital capacity.”

The surge plans would not just increase capacity by adding hospital beds; they also account for the necessary workforce and personal protective equipment to care for a larger number of patients.

Love said hospital CEOs are constantly monitoring the situation.

“We are all in this together, and we need to reflect unconditional respect for our fellow Texans” by wearing masks, keeping social distance when around others and maintaining good hygiene, Love said.

County health officials have been watching hospitalizations, emergency room visits and intensive care unit admissions as key indicators of the course of the outbreak. All three remain high, the county said.

The county said 513 patients were hospitalized in Dallas County as of Thursday, a drop from the 669 hospitalizations reported Wednesday. There also were 619 visits to emergency rooms for COVID-19 symptoms Thursday, accounting for 40% of all ER visits in the county.

Of all cases reported after June 1, half have been in people 18 to 39 years old. The county also said that 54 cases of COVID-19 have been reported in children and staff from 26 day care centers in the county, including one staff member who required admission to the ICU.

The county said that among hospitalizations to date, more than two-thirds have been in people under 65 and about half didn’t have any high-risk health conditions.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County health officials said that due to the holiday, the county’s next update to their COVID-19 case numbers won’t come until Sunday.

As of Thursday, the county had 13,423 cases of the virus — or about 6.4 cases for every 1,000 residents — including 233 deaths, 516 hospitalizations and 5,517 recoveries.

Denton County

A record 152 new coronavirus cases were reported by the county Friday. No new deaths were reported.

Ahead of the July Fourth holiday weekend, the county’s public health director asked residents to take precautions.

“Although the holiday weekend is upon us, we ask you to limit contact with individuals outside your household, wear a mask, and stay physically distant,” Dr. Matt Richardson said in a news release.

Denton County has now seen 3,184 cases, 37 deaths and 1,209 recoveries. Fifty-nine patients remain hospitalized.

Collin County

A 71-year-old Plano man who died in a hospital earlier this week was Collin County’s 46th coronavirus victim, officials said Friday.

Officials also reported 122 new cases of COVID-19. The county has recorded a total of 3,321 cases — about 3.2 per 1,000 residents.

County data shows that 119 people are hospitalized with the virus and 2,583 have recovered.

Other counties

The Texas Department of State Health Services took over reporting of coronavirus cases for several North Texas counties last week.

According to the latest numbers:

  • Rockwall County has had 377 cases, with 16 deaths and 196 recoveries.
  • Kaufman County has reported 724 cases, five deaths and 320 recoveries.
  • Ellis County has had 978 total cases, including 19 deaths and 437 recoveries.
  • Johnson County has reported 526 cases, with four deaths and 230 recoveries.

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