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Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 43 more positive coronavirus cases Monday, bringing the county’s total case count to 1,155.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that the lower number of new cases was in part because several private labs were closed Sunday. The county reported 97 new cases Sunday and 94 on Saturday.
“Having said that, the hospital systems are seeing evidence that the Dallas County Safer at Home executive order enacted on March 22nd is working to #FlattenTheCurve,” he said. “Please continue adherence to the Safer at Home order to help save lives.”
Roughly 75% of the county’s patients who have required hospitalization are older than 60 or have at least one high-risk chronic health problem, officials said. Diabetes has been reported in more than 25% of all hospitalized patients.
Jenkins also encouraged Dallas residents to consider wearing face coverings when they’re out in public, a message that aligns with a recommendation Friday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, though he noted that cloth coverings are only 10% to 15% effective at stopping transmission.
“You must still maintain safe distancing of a minimum of 6 feet to stay safe,” he said. “Your actions are critical for us to defeat COVID-19, save lives and get back to normal life as soon as we can.”
Tarrant County
Health officials reported two more deaths Monday from COVID-19, bringing the county’s total to 13.
One of the victims was a Fort Worth man in his 60s, and the other was an Arlington man in his 40s. No other details about the men were provided.
“We extend our sympathy to the families of these patients for their loss,” Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said. “This is yet another reminder of the tragic toll that the COVID-19 virus is taking on our community,”
On Sunday, Tarrant County Public Health reported two more deaths and 16 more positive cases. Tarrant County Public Health hadn’t reported any new positive COVID-19 cases as of Monday evening.
Fort Worth police reported a fourth police officer had tested positive for COVID-19. The officer, who is recovering at home, has been off work since March 20.
The Police Department said it has a “dedicated team” investigating and backtracking each officer that tests positive, including people the officer may have come into contact with. Anyone who may have come into contact with one of the officers is being told to self-quarantine.
Doctors look at a lung CT image at a hospital in Xiaogan,China.
PUBLIC HEALTH
What you need to know about coronavirus
BY WIRE SERVICES AND TOM STEELE
Collin County
Collin County recorded 19 new cases of COVID-19 on Monday, including the county’s fourth death related to the virus.
The patient who died was a 93-year-old McKinney woman, officials said. Her cause of death was not COVID-19, but she had tested positive for it.
Of the county’s 306 cases, 117 patients have recovered, according to public-health officials. Twenty-nine remain hospitalized.
Denton County
Officials in Denton County reported 33 new COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the county’s total to 337.
Four of the new cases were among staff members at the Denton State Supported Living Center, which has had one of the largest coronavirus outbreaks in the state. Fifty residents and 43 employees of the facility, which serves adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities, have tested positive.
Seven Denton County residents have died after contracting COVID-19. Seventy-six of the county’s confirmed patients, or nearly a quarter, have recovered.
Rockwall County
A resident of the city of Rockwall tested positive for the virus, Rockwall County officials said Monday.
That raises the total number of cases in the county to 12.
Ellis County
Officials in Ellis County said there were six new cases of COVID-19 there, bringing the total to 38. Two patients have died, and two have recovered.
The cases include a resident of Legend Oaks Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Waxahachie. The facility is following protocols and working with state health authorities, according to the city.
Fort Worth hospitals
John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth says nine of its employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
The hospital now has a phone line to provide information about its coronavirus cases. The information, available by calling 817-702-9500, is updated at 10 a.m. daily.
Ten patients at the hospital are being treated for the virus, and 36 more are under investigation.
The hospital has tested 413 people for the coronavirus, and 44 of those tests have been positive. Eight-five are pending.
Robert Earley, the hospital’s president and chief executive, said in a written statement that the information line may not provide every answer but that he hopes people “see it as a big step” toward staying informed.
“There’s comfort in knowing the facts, and knowing what our teams are dealing with each day,” he said.
Meanwhile, another Fort Worth hospital has set up a temporary morgue outside its facility.
Baylor Scott & White All Saints Medical Center said in a written statement that it does not need to use the temporary morgue but wanted to be prepared if local mortuaries “remain at capacity longer than anticipated.”
“We have made preparations to safeguard our community’s loved ones who have passed in a temporary external morgue,” the hospital said.