As of 2:00 pm July 23, 2021, Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 434 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dallas County, 328 confirmed cases, and 106 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 267,436 confirmed cases (PCR test). There is a cumulative total of 44,718 probable cases (antigen test). A total of 4,179 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness.
Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) provided over 497,000 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine at the Fair Park mega-vaccine clinic, which operated from January 11 through July 17. A pop-up vaccination clinic at Fair Park will continue over the next two weekends, Saturday, July 27, and Saturday, July 31 from 10 am-3 pm in Lot 13.
The additional deaths being reported today include the following:
- A man in his 50'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 90's who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He was found deceased at home and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 90's who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Sunnyvale. She expired in a facility and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
To date, a total of 180 cases with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern have been identified in residents of Dallas County, including: 144 cases of B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variants; three B.1.351 (Beta) variants; sixteen B.1.617.2 (Delta) variants; and seventeen P.1 (Gamma) variants. Twenty-one have been hospitalized and three have died. One fully vaccinated patient subsequently became ill from B.1.1.7 infection and died. The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 28 (week ending 7/17/21), was 307, which is a rate of 11.6 daily new cases per 100,000 residents.
As of the week ending 7/17/2021, about 58% of Dallas County residents age 12 years and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including: 84% of residents age 65 years and older; 66% of residents between 40-64 years of age; 52% of residents 25-39 years of age; 42% of residents 18-24 years of age; and 30% of residents 12-17 years of age. In the cities of Coppell and Sunnyvale, greater than 87% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. In the cities of Addison and Highland Park, about 80% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. (See below). About 79% of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Week 28 were Dallas County residents who were not fully vaccinated. In Dallas County, 1,716 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated individuals have been confirmed to date, of which 124 (7%) were hospitalized and 16 have died due to COVID-19.
Of all Dallas County residents tested for COVID-19 by PCR during the week ending 7/17/21 (CDC week 28), 9.7% of respiratory specimens tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. For week 28, area hospital labs have continued to report elevated numbers and proportions of respiratory specimens that are positive for other respiratory viruses by molecular tests: parainfluenza (8.5%), rhinovirus/enterovirus (21%) and RSV (37%). There are currently 10 active long-term care facility outbreaks. A cumulative total of 4,408 residents and 2,487 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 1,128 have been hospitalized and 811 have died. About 20% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities.
There have been no outbreaks of COVID-19 in a congregate-living facility (e.g. homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes) reported within the past 30 days. A cumulative total of 640 residents and 225 staff members in congregate-living facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with more detailed data dashboards and summary reports updated on 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 434 new COVID-19 cases and three additional deaths. Our provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases, by date of test collection, for CDC week 28 is 307, compared to the week 27 number of 184. The numbers are advancing rapidly and our UTSW models suggest that we will be at an average of 600 cases a day by August 9.
It's very important that we take appropriate precautions. The most important precaution is to get vaccinated. If you haven't gotten your children over age 12 vaccinated yet, please help protect those under age 12 and your own child by getting them vaccinated as soon as possible. It takes some time to get both doses and build a full immune response, so vaccinating them now will lead to full immunity approximately two to three weeks after school starts. With the Delta variant exploding onto the scene, and with a large amount of young people now making up those in the hospital, it's important to vaccinate those kids as soon as possible. And if you've been waiting to get vaccinated, now is the time to get your vaccine.
Those who have been vaccinated and are leaders in their family and friend group, please renew your efforts to encourage and answer questions for your unvaccinated loved ones so that they can get vaccinated and avoid the heartache of getting and spreading COVID. It's up to all of us. We are stronger together, and in that spirit, even if you are vaccinated, please make smart choices on where you go and who you are around as we vaccinated people can still be carriers of the Delta variant and spread it to unvaccinated people, including children under 12," 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: