Dallas County reports record coronavirus cases for the fourth time this week as hospitalizations rise

Dallas County reported 345 new cases of the coronavirus Saturday — the fourth single-day record it has reported this week — and three deaths.

Those who died are an Irving man in his 50s, a Seagoville man in his 60s, and a Mesquite woman in her 90s who was a resident of a long-term care facility.

The county ended the week with its highest seven-day average of daily cases — 300 — after seeing a record 300 new cases Wednesday, 312 cases Thursday and 328 on Friday.

The county has reported 13,930 cases of COVID-19 and 283 deaths overall. It does not report the number of recoveries.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that while Saturday’s cases are another record for a single-day high, increased testing contributes to the increased case count.

He said rising hospitalizations are of greater concern because they are at their highest point since the pandemic began in the county, region and state.

For three consecutive days, Dallas County has reported more than 370 people have been hospitalized with the coronavirus. Hospitalizations for the virus had stayed between 300 and 350 for several weeks.

“Think of hospitalizations as the tip of the iceberg,” Jenkins said. “There is much more ice under the water out of the hospital and that portion of the iceberg is growing as more and more people get infected from one another.”

According to the county, 24% of all emergency-room visits — 489 — were also for COVID-19 symptoms.

County officials and health experts have focused on hospitalizations, ICU admissions and emergency room visits to determine guidelines for everyday activities during the pandemic.

Jenkins said the rising trends are why people should focus on their health and take precautions such as practicing good hygiene, avoiding large crowds, wearing a mask and maintaining a 6-foot distance from people when outside the home.

“There are other important things to focus on, but we cannot take our focus off our health,” Jenkins said.

PUBLIC HEALTH

What you need to know about coronavirus, plus a map of every case in Texas

BY WIRE SERVICES AND TOM STEELE

Tarrant County

The county reported 133 new coronavirus cases Saturday, raising its total to 7,253.

The county also reported three new deaths: a Hurst man in his 50s, and a Mansfield woman and an Arlington woman both in their 80s. All but one had underlying health conditions.

Tarrant County now has 194 confirmed deaths and 3,110 recoveries.

Collin County

Collin County had 78 new COVID-19 cases, 17 new recoveries and no additional deaths on Saturday, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

The county has had a total of 1,638 cases, 37 deaths and 1,288 recoveries.

Denton County

On Saturday, the county reported 32 new coronavirus cases and four recoveries.

The county has seen a total of 1,719 cases, 36 deaths and 940 recoveries.

Rockwall County

The county reported two new coronavirus cases Saturday, raising its total to 235. One case is from Rockwall and the other is from Royse City. One person is younger than 20, the other is in his or her 50s.

There have been 15 deaths — all among residents of the Broadmoor Medical Lodge in Rockwall.

County officials said previously that they did not receive an update on recoveries from the state this week because of a change in reporting.

Other Counties

Ellis, Johnson and Kaufman counties have not reported new numbers today. According to Friday’s numbers for the counties:

• Ellis County had posted a total of 463 coronavirus cases, 18 COVID-19 deaths and 338 recoveries.
• Johnson County had reported totals of 256 coronavirus cases, four COVID-19 deaths and 175 people released from isolation.
• Kaufman County had recorded totals of 325 coronavirus cases, two COVID-19 deaths and 258 recoveries.