In the state of Texas things are looking bleak as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday. Texas DSHS says, “New cases and hospitalizations are accelerating. There is growing strain on hospital capacity and staffing. Fatalities are increasing.”
Yesterday’s numbers in Dallas County were significantly lower than the record breaking numbers reported last week, but today they are over 1500 once again. There’s a consensus among frontline workers: they are exhausted and they are worried. They don’t feel like the public is understanding the gravity of the strain on their local healthcare facilities.
“Today’s 1,716 cases include 1,516 cases derived from PCR tests, also known as confirmed cases, and 200 cases derived from antigen tests, also known as probable cases. Included in the numbers are seven deaths, ranging in age from a man in his 30’s to a woman in her 90’s.
For most of us, tomorrow is our last day of work before the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This holiday weekend, please follow the holiday guidance available at www.DallasCountyCOVID.org. As the CDC, President Trump’s Task Force, and our local doctors have said before, please limit your Thanksgiving get-togethers to those who live in your home and forgo in-person shopping experiences and crowds. Online shopping this year for the holidays is the far safer option. Similarly, curbside pickup for groceries and other items is far safer than going inside the store.
As you can see from the two graphics below, being around 10 people exposes you to a 35% risk that one of those 10 individuals is COVID-19 positive and can infect the group. If that number rises to 20 people in your gathering, then it is near statistical certainty that there will be a COVID-19 positive individual at your gathering. Keep this in mind and avoid visiting crowded indoor venues at this time of high spread. When outdoors, please make sure to maintain your distance on trails and at shared spaces.
This is a time for community sacrifice and patriotism as we reflect on what we are thankful for. I’m sure for everyone that thanksgiving list includes other people. It’s up to all of us to sacrifice doing those things that we would understandably and selfishly like to do now until a vaccine is in wide dissemination, and hone to the requests of our healthcare heroes for just a little bit longer to keep our families, our community, our economy, and our country safer from the threat of the COVID pandemic,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
1716 Additional COVID-19 Cases, 7 Deaths
As of 12:00 pm November 24, 2020, Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 1,716 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dallas County, 1,516 confirmed cases and 200 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 120,999 cases (PCR test), including 1,197 confirmed deaths. There is a cumulative total of 11,444 probable cases (antigen test), including 28 probable deaths.
The additional deaths being reported today include the following:
- A man in his 30’s who was a resident of the City of Garland. He 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 Mesquite. He had been critically ill in an area hospital, 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 Lancaster. He had been critically ill in an area hospital, and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 80’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 80’s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital, had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 90’s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital, had underlying high risk health conditions.
The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 46 has increased to 1,321, which is a rate of 50.1 daily new cases per 100,000 residents– the highest case rate in Dallas County since the beginning of the pandemic. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 has increased, with 16.8% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 46 (week ending 11/14/20).
In the last 7 days #Texas averaged:
⬆️10,601 new cases a day
⬆️8,196 current hospitalizations
⬆️151 new fatalities reported a day
#HealthyTexas
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Our hospital heroes need our help. For nearly 9 months they’ve given us their all, risked their lives, and will work thru the holidays.
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To help them and ourselves, all we have to do is stay home when we can, and wear masks and take #HealthyTexas steps around others.
If you work in the hospital or are a frontline worker and want to share your story please reach out to us editor@focusdailynews.com. We want our readers to heard from you. THANK YOU for saving lives.
