2,248 New COVID-19 Cases, 10 New Deaths
DALLAS –“Today marks our second highest total of new COVID positive cases and 10 more deaths to report here in Dallas County. The increasing number of hospitalizations and COVID rate of infection here in North Texas is very concerning and precipitated our press conference today. It is imperative that we all make smart choices and avoid crowds and get-togethers this holiday season as we are getting to a place where our healthcare system can be compromised by another surge brought about by increased activities at the holidays.
We can’t let that happen. Now is the time for patriotism and to look inward, not at our neighbors to see what they’re doing that we believe is wrong, but at ourselves for what incremental changes in planning ahead we can do to have a meaningful and safe holidays while avoiding increased risk of spread,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
Dallas County Health and Human Services reports 2,248 additional positive cases of COVID-19) in Dallas County, 1,938 confirmed cases and 310 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 152,447 cases (PCR test). There is a cumulative total of 17,413 probable cases (antigen test). A total of 1,423 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness.
Ten additional deaths being reported today include the following:
- A woman in her 40’s who was a resident of the City of Irving. She had been critically ill in an area hospital, and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.
- A man in his 50’s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He died in a facility, and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 60’s who was a resident of the City of Grand Prairie. She had been hospitalized, and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A man in his 60’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 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 woman in her 70’s who was a resident of the City of Grand Prairie. She 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 Mesquite. She had been critically ill in an area hospital, and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A man in his 80’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 woman in her 80’s who was a resident of the City of Richardson. She 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 Duncanville. He had been hospitalized, and had underlying high risk health conditions.
62.5 Daily New Cases Per 100K Residents
The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 49 was to 1,647, which is a rate of 62.5 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 21.6% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 49 (week ending 12/5/20).
Record High Hospitalizations In Region Continue
There were 867 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Thursday, December 17. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 482 for the same time-period, which represents around 20 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.
Twice this week we’ve now seen record highs for hospitalizations, nearly 30 more than our previous high of 838 two days ago. Additionally, we are seeing record highs across the region. Unlike in the spring and summer surges, the ability to draw on regional capacity and additional staff is limited at this time. Please help us change course and commit to virtual holiday activities. A post-holiday surge on top of the current increases could be devastating to our already heavily burdened health care providers.
