Dallas County reports 23 deaths, 327 new coronavirus cases; Tarrant adds 10 deaths

Dallas County reported 23 more COVID-19 deaths and 327 new coronavirus cases Thursday.

Across the state, hospitalizations for the virus continued to decline, falling below 3,000 for the first time since June.

The latest Dallas County victims were 14 men and nine women who were in their 40s and older. Of the latest victims, 17 were from Dallas, two from Grand Prairie and one each from DeSoto, Farmers Branch, Garland and Mesquite.

Four people were residents of long-term care facilities, and two people were found dead in their homes. All but one victim had underlying health conditions.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that there are about 150,000 people on the county’s waiting list who have not yet been offered a vaccine appointment.

“Only a little over 1.1 million have signed up on the list but there are 2.7 million people who live in Dallas County, and many of the people who have signed up on the list are from the surrounding counties,” Jenkins said. “This indicates that there are many Dallas County residents who have not registered and are not on the waitlist. The list is open to anyone, even if you are currently too young to qualify for a shot.”

Of the new cases, 191 were confirmed and 136 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s overall case total to 291,589, including 252,232 confirmed and 39,357 probable. The death toll is 3,550.

The average number of new daily cases in the county for the last two weeks is 282. For the previous 14-day period, the average was 319.

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 Wednesday, 167 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 396 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 637,678 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 348,149 — 17.2% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 3,337 more cases were reported Thursday, including 3,206 new cases and 131 older ones recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 118 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 47,522.

Of the new cases, 2,409 were confirmed and 797 were probable. Of the older cases, 106 were confirmed and 25 were probable.

The state’s case total is now 2,786,642, including 2,397,828 confirmed and 388,814 probable.

There are 2,954 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 542 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Wednesday, 3.3% 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 5.4% as of Wednesday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 2.7%. 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, 7,595,073 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 4,154,353 — 18.5% of the state’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 10 deaths and 237 cases Thursday.

The latest victims were two Fort Worth women in their 60s and 80s, an Arlington man in his 80s, a Bedford man in his 80s, a Euless man in his 70s, a Forest Hill man in his 60s, a Hurst man in his 80s, a Mansfield man in his 60s, a Richland Hills woman in her 70s and a woman in her 80s who lived in an unincorporated area. All of them had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Of the new cases, 105 were confirmed and 132 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 251,106, including 211,915 confirmed and 39,191 probable. The death toll is 3,300.

According to the county, 158 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 445,383 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 264,383 — 16.3% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added two deaths and 141 cases to Collin County’s totals Thursday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 88 were confirmed and 53 were probable. The numbers bring the county’s case total to 86,787, including 72,042 confirmed and 14,745 probable. The death toll is 797.

According to the county, 91 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 301,692 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 168,247 — 21% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 96 cases Thursday. No new deaths were reported.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s case total to 71,976, including 53,380 confirmed and 18,596 probable. The death toll is 466.

According to the county, 42 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 214,932 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 137,917 — 19.8% 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: 11,121 cases (9,077 confirmed and 2,044 probable), 149 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 15,522 cases (13,069 confirmed and 2,453 probable), 244 deaths.
• Ellis County: 22,172 cases (18,609 confirmed and 3,563 probable), 308 deaths.
• Johnson County: 19,334 cases (16,539 confirmed and 2,795 probable), 359 deaths.