One Day Spike Or New Trend?
DALLAS — Dallas County Health and Human Services reports 638 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dallas County for a cumulative total of 87,381 confirmed cases, including 1,057 confirmed deaths.
There are 32 additional probable case to report today for a total of 4,374 probable cases including 13 probable deaths. Of the 606 new confirmed cases we are reporting today, 328 came through the Texas Department of State Health Services’ (DSHS) electronic laboratory reporting (ELR) system, and 9 are from older months. Please see a provisional breakdown below of these newly reported cases by date of collection:
|
Month |
# of positive patients |
|
June |
1 |
|
September |
8 |
|
October |
319 |
The additional death being reported today includes the following:
- A man in his 50’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 40 was 374, an increase from the previous daily average of 346 for CDC week 37. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 remains high with 10.0% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 40 (week ending 10/3/20). A provisional total of 283 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in school-aged children (5 to 17 years) during CDC week 40, an increase from the previous week in this age group.
There were 351 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Monday, October 12. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 385 for the 24 hour period ending on Monday, October 12, which represents around 17 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council. These numbers reflect an alarming and steady increase in hospitalizations.
“Today we see a large increase in the number of new COVID-19 positive cases. Remember that we are looking for weekly trends and not one day spikes; however, we saw the release of CDC week 40 in the Dallas County Health and Human Services summary report which was yet another increase in the number of positive cases. Our hospitalizations and ED visits are continuing to go up in the region and her in Dallas County and we are seeing a CDC week 40 climb in the number of children ages 5-17 who are contracting COVID-19 as well.
Overall our schools are doing a good job with infection prevention, and many of our families are making good choices, but it’s up to all of us to make a choice to wear our mask when around people outside our home, maintain six-foot distance, wash our hands frequently, and avoid crowds. We want the numbers to flatten and begin to go down with this pleasant weather and as we enter the holiday season. Unfortunately, we are currently going in the wrong direction but I know together we can turn it around and get to a better place for the fall.
Also, today is the first day of early vote. I want to reiterate the great amount of effort that has gone into making sure the voting experience is safe. You can go to www.DallasCountyVotes.org to find a color-coded map that shows which early voting sites have the shortest lines and you can download a sample ballot at https://www.dallascountyvotes.org/voter-lookup to see the races that you’ll be voting on based on your address,” 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
Specific Guidance for the Public:
· Dallas County COVID-19 Related Health Guidance for the Public
· Dallas County Guidance for Individuals at High-Risk for Severe COVID-19
