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Dallas County did not issue a daily coronavirus case report Thursday, citing an upgrade to the county health department’s data platform.
County Judge Clay Jenkins said Thursday night that the delay was caused by an update to the reporting system that took longer than expected. He said data from Thursday will be reported in Friday’s numbers.
The update, he said, will allow for better contact tracing.
“We have transitioned over to a more robust tracing system,” Jenkins said in a written statement. “The system should be able to report numbers tomorrow and we’ll get you all the information as soon as possible.”
It was the first time in nearly seven months — dating back to the local onset of the virus March 10 — that the county did not release new information regarding the state of COVID-19 transmission.
As of Wednesday, the county had reported 82,410 confirmed coronavirus cases, including 1,024 deaths.
The county has also reported 4,090 probable COVID-19 cases and 13 probable deaths. Probable cases and deaths include people who had a positive antigen test (sometimes called rapid tests); had antibodies for the virus; or had COVID-19 symptoms and contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.
Statewide data
Across the state, 3,234 more cases and 112 COVID-19 deaths were reported Thursday. Texas has now reported 752,501 confirmed cases and 15,823 fatalities.
There are 3,190 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 788 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
The seven-day average positivity rate statewide, based on the date of test specimen collection, was 6.45% as of Wednesday. State health officials said using data based on when people were tested will provide the most accurate positivity rate.
The state also provides a positivity rate based on when lab results were reported to the state; that rate stood at 7.86% as of Wednesday.
Officials previously calculated Texas’ coronavirus positivity rate by dividing the most recent seven days of new positive test results by the most recent seven days of total new test results. By that measure, the positivity rate is now 5.76% percent, according to its dashboard.
A spokesman for the Texas Department of State Health Services said that positivity rate data based on lab results and new cases probably will be phased out but is still being provided for transparency and continuity purposes.
Tarrant County
Tarrant County reported 312 coronavirus cases and four new deaths Thursday.
All of the latest victims had underlying health problems. Two of the victims lived in Fort Worth — a woman in her 60s and a man in his 50s. The other two victims were an Arlington man in his 50s and a Burleson man in his 80s.
The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 50,729, including 3,622 probable cases. The death toll stands at 666, and 44,149 people have recovered.
According to the county dashboard, 332 people are hospitalized with the virus.
Collin County
Collin County added 187 coronavirus cases Thursday, bringing its total to 14,109. The county also reported two new deaths, raising the toll to 150
The county has 1,040 active cases of the virus — including 86 people who are hospitalized, according to the county dashboard — and has recorded 13,069 recoveries.
Collin County, which receives its data from the Department of State Health Services since turning over case management in June, has a note on its dashboard warning residents that it has low confidence in the numbers the state is providin
Denton County
Denton County reported 77 coronavirus cases — of which 64 are active — on Thursday.
The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 12,319, including 1,613 that are active and 10,597 that are recoveries.
Other counties
The Texas Department of State Health Services has taken over reporting for these other North Texas counties. In some counties, new data may not be reported every day.
The latest numbers are:
- Rockwall County: 1,659 cases, 28 deaths
- Kaufman County: 3,192 cases, 47 deaths
- Ellis County: 4,459 cases, 68 deaths
- Johnson County: 3,130 cases, 52 deaths