Dallas County Reports One New COVID-19 Death
DALLAS — As of 3:00 pm September 17, 2020, Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 458 additional confirmed cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total confirmed case count in Dallas County to 76,607 including 986 confirmed deaths. An additional 63 new probable cases with positive antigen test results were reported in Dallas County since yesterday, bringing the total probable cases in Dallas County to 3,637, including 11 probable deaths from COVID-19.
Of the 458 new cases we are reporting today, 316 came through the Texas Department of State Health Services’ (DSHS) electronic laboratory reporting (ELR) system and 52 were from previous months. Please see a provisional breakdown below of these newly reported cases by date of collection:
| Month | # of positive patients |
| July | 2 |
| August | 50 |
| September | 264 |
The additional death being reported today includes 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.
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.
Of all confirmed cases requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds have been under 65 years of age. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Of the total confirmed deaths reported to date, about 25% have been associated with long-term care facilities. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with a more detailed summary report updated Tuesdays and Fridays.
Judge Jenkins Says Do What’s Safe-Not What’s Permissible
“Today we have 406 new COVID-19 cases and 52 old cases from the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system to report. In addition, we have one death to report of a person in their 60’s.
The Governor announced his decision to allow increasing capacity at businesses throughout the State. The important thing for the community to look at is not what is permissible but rather what is safe. Doctors say that it is best to only frequent indoor establishments where masks can be worn one hundred percent of the time, to choose patio or takeout dining over indoor dining at restaurants, and to frequent establishments where it’s possible to stay at least six feet away from other patrons.
With the Governor increasing capacities, it will be more difficult to find indoor experiences with at least six foot distancing and it will be up to patrons to find the right establishment and time of day to patronize them safely. The Public Health Committee still recommends that people avoid bars, even if they’ve found some way to open under a loophole, and to use outdoor workouts in lieu of gyms,” 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
