Dallas County reports record number of coronavirus hospitalizations, 5 deaths

Dallas County reported 392 new coronavirus cases and five deaths Thursday as hospitalizations for the virus continue to rise.

Four of the deaths were people with high-risk health conditions: two Dallas men, in their 60s and 90s, a Carrollton man in his 80s and a Grand Prairie woman in her 50s.

A Mesquite man in his 90s who died at a long-term care facility did not have high-risk health conditions, officials said.

Dallas County has had 15,648 total coronavirus cases, including 307 deaths. The county does not report a number of recoveries. Thursday’s new cases were the second-most the county has reported on a single day; there were 413 on Wednesday.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that the county has 423 hospitalized coronavirus patients, the most since the pandemic began. That number had remained between 300 and 350 for several weeks before the recent increase.

He said the number of hospitalizations across the Dallas-Fort Worth area has grown by 200, to 923, in recent days.

The number of hospitalizations is important because it “gives an indication to the amount of COVID-19 cases spreading in the community that you are yet to see,” Jenkins said.

Emergency-room visits by people exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 also remained high, at 586, representing more than a quarter of all visits, officials said.

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 he is asking the Commissioner’s Court to consider an order for Dallas County businesses to require people to wear masks, which he says are the “single most important tool we have” to stop the spread of the virus.

But people should take precautions even if they’re not mandatory, he said.

“You don’t need to wait on the government to wear a mask when on public transportation or at businesses,” 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

Tarrant County reported six coronavirus deaths and 277 new cases Thursday.

Three of the victims were Keller residents: a man in his 80s and two women, in their 50s and 90s. Two Arlington women, in their 50s and 80s, and a Mansfield man in his 80s also died.

All of the victims had underlying health conditions, county officials said.

The county has now seen a total of 8,099 cases, 205 deaths and 3,627 recoveries.

Collin County

Collin County officials reported 60 new coronavirus cases Thursday, raising the county’s total to 2,026.

The county has recorded 38 deaths from the virus, as well as 1,321 recoveries. According to the county’s data, 135 patients remain hospitalized.

Denton County

Denton County reported 87 new coronavirus cases Thursday, raising its total to 1,980.

It also reported 32 recoveries, for a total of 1,007. Thirty-six residents have died from COVID-19.

Rockwall County

Rockwall County officials reported 11 new coronavirus cases Thursday.

The county has now had 258 cases of coronavirus, with 16 deaths and 188 recoveries. Fifteen of the deaths have been among residents of Broadmoor Medical Lodge in Rockwall.

Kaufman County

Kaufman County officials reported six coronavirus cases and three presumed recoveries Thursday.

The county has recorded 348 cases, three deaths and 281 presumed recoveries.

Ellis County

Ellis County reported 20 new coronavirus cases Thursday, lifting its total to 519.

Officials also reported six new recoveries, for 367 total. The county’s number of deaths remained at 19.

Johnson County

On Thursday, Johnson County reported five new coronavirus cases and one person released from isolation.

The county has reported a total of 270 confirmed coronavirus cases, 17 probable cases, four deaths and 194 people released from isolation.