COVID-19 Milestone: Dallas County Officially Hits Herd Immunity
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas County has officially hit herd immunity.
This means the coronavirus virus is still circulating but the risk of major surges that overwhelm hospitals are greatly reduced.
The Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation defines "herd immunity" as when 80% of the local population will be vaccinated against, or have antibodies for, COVID-19. PCCI has been a leader in mapping vulnerability for various ZIP codes and other specific populations throughout the pandemic. It originally expected Dallas to reach herd immunity in early June.
During the past two weeks, hospitalizations for COVID-19 have increased by 9% in Dallas County and 13% in Tarrant County, according to a UT Southwestern analysis of case data. Hospitals report the majority of serious COVID cases in people who have not received the vaccine.
As of 3 p.m. on July 6, 2021 Dallas County Health and Human Services had reported 163 additional positive COVID-19 cases in Dallas County, 93 confirmed cases and 70 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 263,364 confirmed cases (PCR test) and total of 43,669 probable cases (antigen test).
A total of 4,137 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness.