As of 12:00 pm, May 17, 2021, Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 407 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dallas County, 288 confirmed cases, and 119 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 259,657 confirmed cases (PCR test). There is a cumulative total of 42,261 probable cases (antigen test). A total of 3,987 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness.
Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) is providing initial vaccinations to those most at risk of exposure to COVID-19 and almost 468,000 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered at the Fair Park mega-vaccine clinic, which started operations on Monday, January 11. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, as of May 16, 64.17% of individuals 65 and older are fully vaccinated in Dallas County.
The additional deaths being reported today include the following:
- A woman in her 60's who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 60's who was a resident of the City of Garland. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A man in his 60's who was a resident of the City of Grand Prairie. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A man in his 70's who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A man in his 70's who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of DeSoto. He expired in the facility and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 70's who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A man in his 70's who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He expired at home and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 90's who was a resident of the City of Irving. She expired at home and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A man in his 90's who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Mesquite. He expired at home and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
To date, a total of 81 cases with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern have been identified in residents of Dallas County, including 69 cases of variant B.1.1.7; seven B.1.429 variants; two B.1.526 variants; two P.1 variants; and one P.2 variant. Five have been hospitalized with 3 requiring intensive care unit admission, and one has died. Seven had a history of recent domestic travel outside of Texas. One case of B.1.1.7 is a likely instance of reinfection with COVID-19, occurring over 6 months after an initial PCR-confirmed infection. The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 18 was 178, which is a rate of 6.8 daily new cases per 100,000 residents. Over the past 2 weeks, rates of new COVID19 diagnoses in Cedar Hill, Coppell, and Seagoville have been more than 50% higher than county-wide case rates. Rates of new COVID-19 diagnoses in Balch Springs, DeSoto, Mesquite, and Rowlett have been 30% higher than county-wide case rates. Of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals in week 18 (week ending 5/8/21), 7.9% of respiratory specimens tested positive SARS-CoV-2.
During the past 30 days, there were 1,106 COVID-19 cases in school-aged children and staff reported from 417 separate K-12 schools in Dallas County. During the months of April and May, 20% of all COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Dallas County were in children under the age of 18 years-the highest proportion in this age group since the beginning of the pandemic. To date, 67 children have been hospitalized with diagnoses of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a rare but serious complication associated with COVID-19 infection. In Dallas County, 506 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated individuals have been confirmed to date, of which 82 were hospitalized, and 7 have died.
There are currently 31 active long-term care facility outbreaks. A cumulative total of 4,372 residents and 2,462 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 1,090 have been hospitalized and 777 have died. About 20% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities. Ten outbreaks of COVID-19 in congregate-living facilities (e.g. homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes) have been reported in the past 30 days. A cumulative total of 621 residents and 223 staff members in congregate-living facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19.
Of all confirmed cases requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds have been under 65 years of age. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with more detailed summary reports updated Tuesday and Friday evenings, available at https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/2019-novel-coronavirus/daily-updates.php.
Local health experts use hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and ER visits as three of the key indicators as part of determining the COVID-19 Risk Level (color-coded risk) and corresponding guidelines for activities during our COVID-19 response. The most recent COVID-19 hospitalization data for Dallas County, as reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council, can be found at www.dallascounty.org/covid-19 under "Monitoring Data," and is updated regularly. This data includes information on the total available ICU beds, suspected and confirmed COVID-19 ER visits in the last 24 hours, confirmed COVID-19 inpatients, and COVID-19 deaths by actual date of death. The most recent forecasting from UTSW can be found here.
"Today we report a two-day total of 407 COVID-19 cases and nine deaths. With the CDC's news that fully vaccinated people can go to almost any location, with crowds of any size, without wearing a mask or maintaining distance, and be safe while doing so, there is more reason than ever to get vaccinated now before the summer heat of Texas makes wearing a mask more difficult. We don't know the long-term implications of COVID, but we do know is that COVID is a serious disease that has claimed the lives of millions, including close to 600 thousand right here in America and almost 4,000 in Dallas County.
"We also know that the vaccines are safe and effective against COVID. Over 180 million Americans have received their vaccine and are now protected against this terrible virus. If you're still on the fence about whether to get the vaccine, take your advice from medical experts who are now all uniformly saying that everyone 12 and up should be vaccinated. The leaders of all major political parties and religious organizations are likewise saying it's time for all to get vaccinated. Don't let the opinion of a non-medical professional stop you from getting the vaccine that could save your life or the life of someone in your family or allow you or them to avoid a serious, painful and expensive illness," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
All Dallas County COVID-19 Updates and Information can be found here: https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/ and all guidance documents can be found here: https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/guidance-health.php
Specific Guidance for the Public:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends taking everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:
- Avoid close contact outside your home: Put 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don't live in your household.
- Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others and continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.
- Stay home when you are sick, except to seek medical care
- Wash your hands often and with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and help young children to do the same. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces daily using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve, not your hands. Immediately wash your hands.
- Monitor your health daily. Be alert for symptoms. Take your temperature and follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.
Additional information is available at the following websites: