Dallas County reports 12 coronavirus deaths, 281 more cases; Tarrant County adds 6 deaths

Dallas County reported 12 more COVID-19 deaths and 281 new coronavirus cases Tuesday.

The latest victims were all in their 50s or older. Six were men and six were women, and all but one had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Four of the victims were Dallas residents, three lived in Irving, two were from Carrollton and one each lived in Duncanville, Garland and Grand Prairie.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that residents should get vaccinated as soon as they’re able — and encourage people they know to do the same.

“Continue to make smart decisions to cut down on your risk until we’ve reached herd immunity,” he said. “If we all do our part, I’m confident that the CDC will release more guidance to allow more freedoms.”

Of the new cases, 85 were confirmed and 196 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s overall case total to 290,898, including 251,875 confirmed and 39,023 probable. The death toll is 3,509.

The average number of new daily cases in the county for the last two weeks is 262. For the previous 14-day period, the average was 397.

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, 190 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 293 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 608,639 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 328,565 — 16.2% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Gov. Greg Abbott said in a news release Tuesday that Dallas County would be taking part in the fifth week of the state’s Save Our Seniors program, which aims to make vaccines readily available to seniors.

Texas

Across the state, 4,139 more cases were reported Tuesday, including 3,980 new cases and 159 older ones recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 109 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 47,278.

Of the new cases, 3,123 were confirmed and 857 were probable. Of the older cases, 87 were confirmed and 72 were probable.

The state’s case total is now 2,778,808, including 2,391,860 confirmed and 386,948 probable.

There are 3,161 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 585 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Monday, 3.7% 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.

The seven-day average positivity rate statewide for molecular tests, based on the date of test specimen collection, was 5.2% as of Monday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 3.0%. 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, 7,282,422 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 3,863,664 — 17.2% of the state’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported six deaths and 153 cases Tuesday.

The latest victims were three Arlington residents: a man in his 40s, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 90s; two Fort Worth residents: a man in his 60s and a woman in her 80s; and a North Richland Hills man in his 50s. All six had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Of the new cases, 90 were confirmed and 63 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 250,646, including 211,695 confirmed and 38,951 probable. The death toll is 3,284.

According to the county, 169 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 430,882 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 248,297 — 15.4% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added two deaths and 101 cases to Collin County’s totals Tuesday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 56 were confirmed and 45 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 86,459, including 71,862 confirmed and 14,597 probable. The death toll is 793.

According to the county, 92 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 289,065 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 152,751 — 19.1% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported four deaths and 89 cases Tuesday.

The latest victims were a Northlake man in his 50s and three residents of unincorporated parts of the county — a woman in her 40s, a man in his 60s and a woman in her 70s.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s case total to 71,752, including 53,253 confirmed and 18,499 probable. The death toll is 466.

According to the county, 30 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 207,524 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 124,257 — 17.8% of the county’s population 16 and older — 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: 11,068 cases (9,038 confirmed and 2,030 probable), 149 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 15,461 cases (13,018 confirmed and 2,443 probable), 242 deaths.
• Ellis County: 22,094 cases (18,561 confirmed and 3,533 probable), 306 deaths.
• Johnson County: 19,270 cases (16,489 confirmed and 2,781 probable), 359 deaths.