Dallas County adds 39 more coronavirus deaths, 1,438 new cases; Tarrant County reports 37 deaths

Dallas County reported 1,438 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, as well as 39 more deaths from COVID-19.

The latest victims were mostly in their 60s through their 90s. Twenty-two were Dallas residents, while five lived in Garland and four lived in Grand Prairie. Three lived in Irving, two were from Mesquite, and one each lived in Coppell, DeSoto and Duncanville. Two, a Grand Prairie man in his 60s and a Grand Prairie woman in her 80s, were known to not have underlying high-risk health conditions.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that February will be “a dark time” as daily death tolls remain high due to the large number of COVID-19 cases in December and January. But, he said, that can change if people continue to take precautions against the virus and the number of new cases continues to decline while vaccinations increase.

“March can be better and each subsequent month can be a little brighter if we make good choices now,” Jenkins said.

Of the new cases, 1,305 were confirmed and 133 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 261,382, including 230,395 confirmed cases and 30,987 probable cases. The death toll stands at 2,270.

Health officials use hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and emergency room visits as key metrics to track the real-time impact of COVID-19 in the county. In the 24-hour period that ended Monday, 914 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 435 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state’s data, 148,832 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 36,637 are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 23,047 more cases were reported Tuesday, including 22,084 new cases and 963 older cases that were recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 331 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 36,870.

Of the new cases, 18,951 were confirmed and 3,133 were probable. Of the older cases, 608 were confirmed and 355 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the state’s total to 2,415,490, including 2,106,729 confirmed cases and 308,761 probable cases.

There are 11,002 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 2,985 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Monday, 18.3% of patients in the hospital region covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area were COVID-19 patients — above the 15% threshold the state has used to define high hospitalizations.

The seven-day average positivity rate statewide for molecular tests, based on the date of test specimen collection, was 13.3% as of Monday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 7.0%. A molecular test is considered more accurate and is sometimes also called a PCR test; an antigen test is also called a rapid test. Gov. Greg Abbott has said a positivity rate above 10% is cause for concern.

According to the state’s data, 1,998,528 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 526,576 are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 1,426 coronavirus cases and 37 deaths Tuesday.

Most of the victims were in their 60s or older, and 13 did not have underlying high-risk health conditions. Seventeen lived in Fort Worth, and six were Arlington residents. Two each lived in Bedford, Benbrook and Hurst, and one each lived in Crowley, Euless, Forest Hill, Keller, Mansfield, North Richland Hills, Southlake and Westworth Village.

Of the new cases, 763 were confirmed and 663 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 222,111, including 190,056 confirmed cases and 32,055 probable cases. The death toll stands at 2,277.

According to the county, 1,048 people are hospitalized with the virus as of Monday.

According to the state’s data, 113,928 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 22,166 are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added 663 coronavirus cases and nine deaths to Collin County’s totals Tuesday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 498 were confirmed and 165 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 74,243, including 63,484 confirmed cases and 10,759 probable cases. The death toll stands at 589.

According to the county, 481 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state’s data, 54,273 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 15,497 are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 589 coronavirus cases Tuesday. No additional deaths were reported.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 54,742, including 43,090 confirmed cases and 11,652 probable cases. The death toll stands at 325.

According to the county, 179 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state’s data, 30,146 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 9,280 are fully vaccinated.

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: 9,550 cases (7,941 confirmed and 1,609 probable), 102 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 13,314 cases (11,551 confirmed and 1,763 probable), 183 deaths.
• Ellis County: 18,984 cases (16,617 confirmed and 2,367 probable), 237 deaths.
• Johnson County: 16,838 cases (14,796 confirmed and 2,042 probable), 269 deaths.