Irving COVID-19 cases top 27,000, plus other coronavirus updates

Irving recorded its 200th COVID-19 related death this week, as cases climbed to 27,300, making it among the hardest-hit cities in Dallas County.

Meanwhile, nearly all of the city’s recreation centers returned to regular hours and increased occupancy, and the Heritage Aquatic Center reopened.

The vaccine rollout continued, with all adults now eligible to get a vaccine. Irving is partnering with Grand Prairie to administer vaccines at a hub at The Theatre at Grand Prairie, 1001 Performance Place.

Newly reported cases bring the county’s total 291,262, including 252,041 confirmed and 39,221 probable. The death toll is 3,527.

Starting Wed., March 10, Dallas County residents and all other Texans will no longer be required to wear a face mask in public. Businesses can also open at full capacity, as part of the new order from Gov. Greg Abbott.

Irving said it will continue to ask visitors to city facilities to wear masks.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that to keep numbers low, people need to continue to wear masks, socially distance, wash their hands and sign up to get vaccinated.

“It’s up to all of us to defeat COVID, and together, we will succeed,” Jenkins said.

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 Tuesday, 173 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 395 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 623,582 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 336,959 — 16.6% of the county’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Statewide data

Across the state, 4,497 more cases were reported Wednesday, including 4,086 new cases and 411 older ones recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 126 COVID-19 deaths, raising its toll to 47,404.

Of the new cases, 3,077 were confirmed and 1,009 were probable. Of the older cases, 376 were confirmed and 35 were probable.

The state’s case total is now 2,783,305, including 2,395,313 confirmed and 387,992 probable.

There are 3,097 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 558 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Tuesday, 3.4% 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 Tuesday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 3.5%. 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, 7,422,893 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 3,972,931 — 17.7% of the state’s population 16 and older — are fully vaccinated.

Dallas County’s case counts for Irving are updated Tuesday and Friday.

Schools

Since Aug. 10, when staff reported to work, Irving ISD has reported 775 cases of COVID-19 among staff and 782 among students. Of those, 11 are active and the rest have recovered.

Businesses

The city of Irving expanded a program aimed at helping small businesses that have suffered financially from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Independently owned franchises are now eligible to apply, as well as sole proprietors and home-based business owners. Businesses can receive up to $50,000 in forgivable loans.

Testing

A walk-up COVID-19 testing site is now open.

Parkland Health & Hospital System has partnered with Dallas County Health and Human Services and the city of Dallas to open the site at Parkland’s Irving Health Center, 1800 N. Britain Road.

Hours for the new site will be 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, or until the site reaches capacity each day. Reservations are not required, and results are expected within 48 to 72 hours.

Patients must live in Dallas County and show verification of address, such as a utility bill or government-issued ID.

First responders, DART drivers and healthcare workers can receive a test regardless of where they live if they work in Dallas County. They must provide a valid work ID.

Test recipients must be at least 5 years old.