DALLAS — As of 12:00 pm January 14, 2021, Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 1,993 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dallas County, 1,796 confirmed cases and 197 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 201,744 confirmed cases (PCR test). There is a cumulative total of 25,878 probable cases (antigen test). A total of 1,829 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness.
Seventeen additional deaths being reported today include the following:
- A woman in her 30’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 50’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 woman in her 50’s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Mesquite. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A man in his 50’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 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 50’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 60’s who was a resident of the City of Mesquite. 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 Mesquite. 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 Dallas. 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 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 the City of Garland. He had been hospitalized and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 70’s who was a resident of the City of Addison. She had been hospitalized in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 80’s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Garland. She had been hospitalized 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 Dallas. He had been hospitalized and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A man in his 90’s who was a resident of the City of Highland Park. He expired in hospice and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 90’s who was a resident of the City of Desoto. She had been hospitalized and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.
- A man in his 90’s who was a resident of long-term care facility in the City of Mesquite. He had been hospitalized in an area hospital and 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 53 was to 2,227, which is a rate of 84.5 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 remains high, with 31.0% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 53 (week ending 1/2/21). Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 3,864 healthcare workers and first responders have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Dallas County.
COVID-19 Cases In Dallas County Schools
Over the past 30 days, there have been 7,310 COVID-19 cases in school-aged children and staff reported from 674 separate K-12 schools in Dallas County, with 1,842 of these cases reported during the last week of December.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 41 cases of COVID-19 have been reported among school nurses and nurse assistants—almost half (19) of which have been diagnosed within the past week.
One COVID-19 outbreak in a school in December originated with spread among 11 staff members, with transmission to 9 students, and subsequent SARS-CoV-2 infections documented among at least 8 household members of these students. One death and one hospitalization occurred from this outbreak.
There are currently 109 active long-term care facility outbreaks. This is the highest number of long-term care facilities with active outbreaks reported in Dallas County since the beginning of the pandemic. A total of 3,286 residents and 1,871 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 709 have been hospitalized and 378 have died. About 22% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities. Thirty-four 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 associated with 84 cases.
Only 20 Adult ICU Beds Available In Dallas County
There were 1,204 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Wednesday, January 13. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 564 for the same time-period, which represents around 22 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.
We remain close to record highs and concerned about capacity in the upcoming weeks. Updated UTSW modeling predicts hospitalization could reach 1,170 – 1,900 by January 22, with cases as high as 3,600/day by the same date, an increase over previous predictions. You can find additional information on risk-level monitoring data here.
“Today we report 1,993 new COVID cases and 17 additional deaths, ranging in ages from a woman in her 30’s to several individuals in their 90’s. We continue to remain very concerned about the impact COVID is having on our hospital systems and healthcare heroes.
With only 20 adult ICU beds available today in Dallas County, and the prediction of a tough January and February ahead, it’s critical that you follow the advice of the local doctors. Wear your mask around anyone outside of your immediate household. Wash your hands frequently. Avoid crowds and get-togethers. Do your grocery shopping and support restaurants through curbside pickup or delivery. When the weather is nice, try and take advantage of that and exercise outdoors. We are all in this together and we will get through this North Texas,” 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
