DALLAS — As of 3:00 pm September 16, 2020, Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 311 additional confirmed cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total confirmed case count in Dallas County to 76,149 including 985 confirmed deaths.
The total probable cases in Dallas County is 3,637, including 11 probable deaths from COVID-19. Of the 311 new cases we are reporting today, 86 came through the Texas Department of State Health Services’ (DSHS) electronic laboratory reporting (ELR) system and 13 were from previous months. Please see a provisional breakdown below of these newly reported cases by date of collection:
|
Month |
# of positive patients |
|
July |
1 |
|
August |
12 |
|
September |
73 |
The additional 6 deaths being reported today include the following:
- 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 Lancaster. 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 Mesquite. He had been hospitalized, 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 90’s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been hospitalized, and did not have 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 Mesquite. She expired in the facility, and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.
The provisional 7-day average daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 36 was 270, slightly decreased from the previous CDC week 35’s daily average of 303. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 remains high with 10.8% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 36.
A provisional total of 136 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in school-aged children (5 to 17 years) during CDC week 36 (week ending 9/5/2020), a decline from the previous week for this age group. The percentage of cases occurring in young adults aged 18 to 22 years has doubled since May, increasing to 15% over the past 2 weeks.
There were 325 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Tuesday, September 15. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 402 for the 24 hour period ending on Tuesday, September 15, which represents around 15 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.
Additionally, Figure 1 and Table 11 below are from the September 15, 2020 Dallas County Health and Human Services 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary. Figure 1 shows the confirmed COVID-19 positive cases by date of test collection. This chart includes all delayed results that were received by DCHHS as of 8:00pm Monday. Table 11 is a summary of confirmed and probable cases and deaths over the past four weeks in Dallas County.
Daily average is decreasing
“Today we have 298 new COVID-19 positive cases and 13 older cases from our state’s electronic laboratory reporting system. Additionally, we are reporting six deaths. For the CDC week ending September 5, 2020, we saw a decrease in total school-aged children with confirmed COVID-19 cases, as well as a decrease in the daily average of new confirmed and probable cases.
Our daily average of deaths was also down significantly and our positivity rate remained the same as the week before. Masking and social distancing are working and are the best way to protect our community against the spread of COVID-19. Please wear your mask and keep six foot distance. Also please continue to wash your hands frequently, avoid unnecessary trips, and avoid indoor activities where people are not masked at all times.
Although COVID-19 cases in school-aged children ages 5-17 have gone down, we have seen a marked rise in the category of people age 18 and into their 20’s. For instance, the percentage of our positive cases of people from 18-22 has risen to 15% over the last two weeks. With the weather getting cooler, it is more comfortable to be outside and it’s very important to stay out of indoor settings where masks cannot be worn one hundred percent of the time,” 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
