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Dallas County reported 178 new cases of the coronavirus and one death Sunday, continuing a trend that Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins has called “good news” in the fight against the pandemic.
Still, he once again cautioned that progress needs to continue.
He cited lower cases and flat hospitalization numbers as positive signs, but he also pointed to this week’s death toll of 35 — including a one-day record of 14 deaths Tuesday — as signs more work lies ahead.
“All this means the doctors still have us in the red ‘Stay home, stay safe’ risk level,” Jenkins said in a written statement Sunday. “So please avoid unnecessary crowds, wear your face covering when at businesses, maintain 6 feet of good social distancing and use good hygiene.”
Dallas County reported an average of 196 cases a day in the last seven days, which is about 30 cases fewer a day than the previous week’s average.
Jenkins also wrote in his statement about masks and similar face coverings, which have turned into a polarizing part of the coronavirus response. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends cloth face coverings in public when social distancing is difficult to maintain. On May 9, a spokesman for Gov. Greg Abbott said, “Wearing face masks is strongly encouraged” and “is a best practice,” though it isn’t required.
A study by the Democracy Fund + UCLA Nationscape Project, according to USA Today, found that 84% of 4,576 Americans surveyed wore a mask in public from May 7 to 14 to limit the spread of the coronavirus.
“Think of the face covering not as an impingement on your personal liberty but as a quintessential American activity of showing kindness to others,” Jenkins wrote. “The person at the store next to you may have a loved one who is at high risk and your face covering protects them if you’re asymptomatic. So please be kind.”
The latest death was a Mesquite woman in her 70s who lived at a long-term care facility, the county said. More than a third of the county’s 211 deaths have been people associated with long-term care facilities.
Nursing homes and long-term care facilities also have been the subject of increased testing.
A task force was recently created by the Texas Division of Emergency Management, in conjunction with area fire chiefs, to conduct COVID-19 testing at 139 nursing homes in Collin, Dallas, Rockwall, Ellis, Kaufman, Hunt and Navarro counties. Fire departments and agencies from Dallas, Cedar Hill, Plano, Red Oak, DeSoto, Ovilla, Lewisville, Corsicana, Ennis, Frisco, Garland, McKinney, Richardson and Sachse are included in the effort.
A Dallas Fire-Rescue spokesman said Sunday that four Dallas County nursing homes were completely tested. In three days 11 facilities were tested, amounting to 1,791 completed tests.
Collin County reported 15 new COVID-19 cases Sunday, bringing its active case total to 315. The county also reported no new deaths.
In total, there have been 1,151 confirmed cases in Collin County and 33 deaths. There also have been 803 recoveries. Collin County reported Sunday there have been 15,250 negative coronavirus tests.
Tarrant County
Tarrant County reported 26 new coronavirus cases Sunday, bringing its total to 4,977 cases.
One more death was reported, for a total of 144. The county also has reported 1,834 recoveries from the virus.
The county said its next update will be Tuesday because Monday is Memorial Day.
Denton County
Denton County reported 12 new cases of COVID-19 on Sunday. No new deaths were reported.
Denton County has reported a total of 30 deaths and 1,224 cases. The county also has reported 619 recoveries, three of which were announced Sunday.
Other counties
As of 6 p.m. Sunday, Rockwall and Ellis counties had not reported new coronavirus data.