Dallas County adds 8 COVID-19 deaths, 939 cases as vaccination efforts make an impact

Dallas County on Saturday reported 939 new coronavirus cases and eight COVID-19 deaths.

The latest victims ranged in age from their 50s to 90s. Seven lived in Dallas, and the other lived in DeSoto. All had been hospitalized, and all had underlying health risk conditions.

“This week we end with a significant decrease in the average daily number of new COVID cases,” County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement. “As vaccinations continue to become more readily available, and if we can continue our resolve to make the small sacrifices of patriotism to keep ourselves, our community and our country as strong as possible until we can reach herd immunity, we will defeat COVID much sooner than if we falter in our resolve.”

Of the new cases, 769 were confirmed and 170 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s overall case total to 273,600, including 240,083 confirmed and 33,517 probable. The death toll is 2,612.

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 Friday, 686 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 337 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 234,351 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 82,338 are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 11,282 more COVID-19 cases were reported Saturday, including 10,817 new cases and 465 older ones recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 283 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 40,378.

Of the new cases, 8,498 were confirmed and 2,319 were probable. Of the older cases, 405 were confirmed and 60 were probable.

The state’s case total is now 2,553,127, including 2,215,885 confirmed and 337,242 probable.

There are 8,395 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 2,229 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The number of hospitalized COVID-19 patients statewide has dropped by more than 1,000 since the start of the week.

On Friday, 13.21% of patients in the hospital region covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area were COVID-19 patients — below the 15% threshold the state has used to define high hospitalizations. It was the fourth consecutive day the region has been below that threshold.

The seven-day average positivity rate statewide for molecular tests, based on the date of test specimen collection, was 11.172% as of Friday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 4.3%. 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, 2,861,794 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 1,103,007 are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 921 coronavirus cases and 17 deaths Saturday.

Of the new cases, 743 were confirmed and 178 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 235,167, including 200,921 confirmed and 34,246 probable. The death toll is 2,642.

According to the county, 812 people were hospitalized with the virus as of Friday.

According to the state, 157,093 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 74,625 are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added 424 coronavirus cases and eight deaths to Collin County’s totals Saturday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 305 were confirmed and 119 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 79,681, including 67,583 confirmed and 12,098 probable. The death toll is 677.

According to the county, 355 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 109,360 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 31,779 are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 318 coronavirus cases and no new deaths Saturday.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s case total to 60,167, including 46,439 confirmed and 13,728 probable. The death toll is 382.

According to the county, 115 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 50,955 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 21,539 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: 10,147 cases (8,396 confirmed and 1,751 probable), 115 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 14,176 cases (12,209 confirmed and 1,967 probable), 205 deaths.
• Ellis County: 20,066 cases (17,470 confirmed and 2,596 probable), 266 deaths.
• Johnson County: 17,909 cases (15,577 confirmed and 2,332 probable), 301 deaths.