Dallas County Reports 3,194 New Positive COVID-19 Cases, a New Record High and 10 Deaths, including 901 Probable Cases
“Today we break 3,000 new COVID cases for the first time. This is 350 cases more than we’ve ever seen on a single day before. This closes this week as our second deadliest week for COVID as we announce 10 more deaths today. Our positivity rate is also at a new all-time high at 31% and our daily average of new cases reached an all-time high of 2,104 for CDC week 53, ending January 2. All of these numbers are leading to a lack of hospital bed capacity and a loss of your best chance for optimum care at our hospitals.
Our healthcare heroes and everyone with an underlying condition of any kind needs your help to see us through these darkest days of the COVID pandemic. Wearing your mask, avoiding crowds, washing hands frequently and forgoing get-togethers are all keys to controlling the spread. The vaccine will begin to pay dividends and come alongside of our shared efforts as more and more people get vaccinated, but we must continue to make smart decisions to have our best chance at defeating COVID as soon as possible and getting back to our pre-COVID activities.
Vaccine Centers In Dallas County Open Monday
I’m very pleased that our vaccine centers will be opening Monday and that thousands of people in the 1B category will receive shots next week by appointment only. The first group of appointments has gone out and more groupings will follow throughout the week and from now on. You need not do anything other than register. You will then be contacted by DCHHS when an appointment is available for you. Please be patient in that Dallas County only has a little over 6,000 vaccines from the State to distribute this week and there are over 123,000 people who have already signed up on the website.
We will continue to push for more vaccine from the State and get it out to our residents as soon after we receive it as possible. If we all work together by making smart decisions and registering to be vaccinated, together we will turn the tide in the battle against COVID this year and get back to many of our pre-COVID activities,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
23% ER Visits Have COVID Symptoms
There were 1,183 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Friday, January 8. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 561 for the same time-period, which represents around 23 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.
Hospitalizations remain near record highs and continue to place extensive strain on our facilities and staff. UTSW modeling predicts hospitalization to reach 1,150 – 1,870 by January 19, with cases as high as 3,500/day by the same date. Their model also indicates increase in ICU utilization, which remains a concern as capacity remains extremely limited at current demand.
The additional deaths being reported today include the following:
- A man in his 60’s who was a resident of the City of Cedar Hill. He expired in an area hospital ED 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 Dallas. 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 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 Dallas. He 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 Cedar Hill. He 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 Mesquite. 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 a long term care facility in the City of Carrollton. 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. 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 2,104, which is a rate of 79.8 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).
