Dallas County Breaks Record With 1,085 New Coronavirus Cases Friday, Including 6 Deaths
Dallas County Health Director Urges Scaled Back July 4th Celebrations As Coronavirus Cases Climb
DALLAS COUNTY (CBSDFW.COM) - A record breaking day for new coronavirus cases in Dallas County. Health and Human Services reports 1,085 additional positive cases of COVID-19, bringing the total case count in the county to 23,675.
"Today we reached 1,000 new cases for the first time and are reporting six deaths. So far this week, we've seen a jump in the average number of daily cases from 451 last week to 680 this week and have recorded 42 deaths, our deadliest week thus far," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
On average it can take up to 10 days to get from a coronavirus test and Judge Jenkins explained that the number today are the result of something that happened a week or more ago. "It is imperative that we do not repeat the spike in cases we saw after Easter/Passover and Memorial Day," he said. "Please do not celebrate the 4th of July with extended family or friend groups, and if you must be around other people, always wear a mask."
Texas reported its highest daily count on Wednesday with 8,076 cases. That number was down to 7,915 on Thursday.
In addition to the positive cases officials reported six additional deaths, bringing the total number of those who have lost their lives to the virus to 393. All of the latest deaths involved people between 60 and 90-years-old and many had been critically ill in hospitals in cities across the county. Of the total deaths reported, about a third have been associated with long-term care facilities.
According to officials, there have been an increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Dallas County being diagnosed in young adults between the ages of 18 and 39 -- all of the cases reported after June 1 have been in the age group.
Many of the increasing reports of new coronavirus cases are being associated with large recreational and social gatherings, including house parties. Of the almost 3,000 cases requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds have been under 65 years of age.