Dallas County reported 31 new COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, marking its second-deadliest day since the pandemic began.
Dr. Philip Huang, the county’s health director, announced the new numbers at a county commissioners meeting. He also said there were 641 new cases.
The county has seen a downward trend in daily coronavirus cases after an 18-day streak of at least 1,000 new cases each day in early and mid-July. Last week, there was a daily average of 654 new cases, down from 827 the previous week.
”The things that we’re doing are starting to show a positive effect,” Huang said. “But we can not let up.”
Eighteen of the latest fatalities were Dallas residents: a man in his 20s, two men in their 30s, a man in his 50s, three men and two women in their 60s, two women in their 70s, three women and a man in their 80s, and three women in their 90s.
Of those, two women in their 90s, two women and a man in their 80s, and a woman in her 70s were residents of a long-term care facility.
Three others who died were also residents of long-term care facilities: a Cedar Hill man in his 80s, a Mesquite woman in her 70s and a DeSoto man in his 60s.
The remaining victims were a Garland man in his 40s; a Grand Prairie man in his 50s; a Cedar Hill woman, a Mesquite man, a Cockrell Hill man, an Irving man and a Mesquite woman, all in their 60s; a Garland man in his 70s; and two Rowlett women in their 80s.
This brings the county’s toll to 722 deaths along with a total of 52,131 cases or about 19.8 for every 1,000 residents. The county does not report recoveries.
“Today’s death total is a somber reminder of the seriousness of COVID-19 and the need for us to continue to wear masks, stay six feet apart, use good hand hygiene, and avoid any trips other than work, procuring essential items and outdoor exercise during this time of rapid spread,” County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement.
Health officials said they continue to see “elevated numbers” of COVID-19 patients with 655 hospitalizations Monday. They also reported 468 emergency-room visits for symptoms of the virus, representing about 24% of all visits.
“While lower than our record highs, these numbers still show the severity of the disease and the impact on our providers,” the county said in a written statement.
At least 290 more children have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since July 1, with over 2,340 testing positive for the virus. During that time frame, 61 have been hospitalized. Two Dallas County children ages 17 and under have died since the pandemic began.
Jenkins said most county testing locations have little to no wait time. He also said the turnaround time for results has improved and most people are getting the results within 48 to 72 hours.
Statewide, Texas reported 245 new COVID-19 deaths Tuesday, bringing the statewide death toll to 7,261. The state also reported 9,167 new coronavirus cases Tuesday for a total of 451,181 cases. Over 306,000 people are estimated to have recovered from the virus, according to the Department of State Health Services.
Probable cases
Texas excludes results of rapid COVID-19 tests from its coronavirus data, meaning the state’s case tally is undercounted by at least tens of thousands, an investigation by the Houston Chronicle found.
The state, following guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control, considers positive results from those tests — called antigen tests — a “probable” case of COVID-19, the Chronicle reported. A spokesman for the Department of State Health Services told the newspaper that the department’s policy is only to report confirmed cases publicly, though that could change.
Dallas County began reporting probable cases in its daily reports last week because of a state requirement. They are reported separately from confirmed cases and not included in confirmed case totals.
As of Tuesday’s most recent case totals, the county has reported 1,678 probable cases of COVID-19, up 144 from Monday’s total. That includes three probable COVID-19 deaths.
Dr. Philip Huang said at a July 24 news conference that the county would begin reporting probable cases, and that those figures would be kept separate from confirmed cases. Huang said confirmed cases are those confirmed by molecular amplification tests — such as PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests, which are most common — which detect the virus’ genetic material. Those take longer to get results, and are considered highly accurate, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
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The antigen tests detect specific proteins on the surface of the virus, and results are available much more quickly. A positive result is considered highly accurate, but antigen tests are more likely than molecular tests to result in a false negative, according to the FDA.
In addition to people who test positive on an antigen test, probable cases reported by Dallas County also include people who have tested positive for having antibodies in response to infection with the virus — or people who have symptoms of COVID-19 and an “epidemiologic link to someone who’s been confirmed,” Huang said.
Tarrant County
The county reported five more coronavirus deaths Tuesday and 805 new cases.
The latest victims are a Mansfield man in his 30s, a Grand Prairie woman in her 60s, a Grand Prairie man in his 70s. A Lake Worth man and a Fort Worth woman, both in their 50s, also died. They all had underlying health conditions.
There are 574 people hospitalized with the virus and 17,689 have recovered, according to county data.
Tarrant County has seen 396 deaths and 30,162 cases or about 14.3 for every 1,000 residents.
Collin County
County officials reported a record 318 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and said it is because the state’s reporting system catching up after an update to the reporting system.
The high follows just three new cases reported Aug. 2 and 18 new cases Aug. 3. The number beats the county’s previous high of 209 set July 28.
One coronavirus death was also reported: a Plano woman in her 80s who died Tuesday.
Hospitalizations in the county are at 151, and 4,915 people have recovered from the virus, according to county data.
Collin County now has 84 COVID-19 deaths and 6,738 cases or about 6.5 for every 1,000 residents.
Denton County
The county reported 95 new coronavirus cases Tuesday, raising its total to 7,127 cases or about eight for every 1,000 residents.
No new COVID-19 deaths were reported, leaving the county’s toll at 56.
According to county data, 70 people are hospitalized with the virus and 4,041 have recovered.
The county announced free drive-thru testing Friday at University of North Texas’ Discovery Park, 3940 N. Elm Street. Pre-registration is required by calling 940-349-2585. Appointments begin at 8 a.m. Residents must either have symptoms within the past week, be an essential employee, over the age of 60, or have had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.
Other Counties
The Texas Department of State Health Services has taken over reporting for other North Texas counties. Some of those counties may not report updates each day. The latest numbers are:
- Rockwall County: 803 cases, 17 deaths.
- Kaufman County: 1900 cases, 22 deaths.
- Ellis County: 2,545 cases, 35 deaths.
- Johnson County: 1,619 cases, 27 deaths.
Staff Writer Nic Garcia contributed to this report.