Dallas County Reports 2,438 New COVID Cases, 12 New Deaths
“Today’s number of 2,438 cases is 250 more new cases than we have ever experienced in any one day. We also are reporting 12 more deaths from COVID today. With the unprecedented high spread we are experiencing, it is important that people plan ahead to avoid crowds. Holiday shopping for both food and gifts can be done online or over the phone with curbside or at-home delivery. Although this requires a little more planning, it will be well worth it in keeping you, your family, your community and ultimately your country a little bit stronger. Masking around anyone who you do not live with while in an indoor setting is also critical to protecting you and the community at large.
Jenkins Urges Residents To Avoid Crowds
Now is the time for the small sacrifices of patriotism as we protect not just ourselves but people we don’t even know from the COVID virus, recognizing that any outbreak will eventually lead to someone, whether you know them or not, getting the virus and having a very bad outcome. By avoiding crowds, and avoiding spreading the virus, we protect not only those we know and love, but that person we may not know who will pay a heavy price for others’ get-togethers or attendance at crowded venues. It’s up to all of us to use the two ‘vaccines’ we have at our disposal now, the mask and the doctors’ fact-based recommendations, until the vaccine shot can be available for everyone,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
Dallas County Health and Human Services reports 2,438 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dallas County, 1,942 confirmed cases and 496 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 149,533 cases (PCR test). There is a cumulative total of 16,697 probable cases (antigen test). A total of 1,403 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness.
The additional deaths being reported today include the following:
- A man in his 40’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 man in his 50’s who was a resident of the City of Seagoville. 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 was found deceased at home, and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 60’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 a long-term care facility in 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 was hospitalized, and had underlying high risk health conditions.
- A man in his 70’s who was a resident of the City of Richardson. 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 Cedar Hill. 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 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 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 70’s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital, and had underlying high risk health conditions.
Record Number of Hospitalizations In Dallas County
There were 838 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Tuesday, December 15. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 565 for the same time-period, which represents around 22 percent of all emergency department visits in the county.
The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 49 has increased 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).
