Dallas County Reports Spike In COVID-19 Hospitalizations: 'Highest Numbers We Have Seen Since August'
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 523 new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Dallas County on Wednesday for a cumulative total of 91,313 cases.
The county also announced two more deaths, bringing the total to 1,091.
There are 66 additional probable cases (antigen test) to report Wednesday for a total of 4,735 probable cases including 13 probable deaths.
Of the 523 confirmed cases reported, 273 came through the Texas Department of State Health Services' electronic laboratory reporting system, and only one was from an older month.
"Today's numbers continue an increase in the number of COVID-19 positive cases that we're seeing in both confirmed (PCR) and probable (antigen) tests. We are seeing an increase in COVID-19 bed utilization at our hospitals and we are back to the highest numbers that we've seen since August in four of our hospital systems," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in a statement.
The additional two deaths reported Wednesday include a Dallas man in his 70s who lived in a long-term care facility and a Cedar Hill woman in her 90s.
"It is not a time to lose our resolve. Things will get better," said Judge Jenkins. "We will get a vaccine but it's imperative that we all wear our masks and avoid large crowds for now. We know what to do, we just need to do it and we need to do it now before we find ourselves in a terrible place for the holidays, winter and the beginning of spring. I know there's a lot of COVID-19 fatigue setting in out there but now is not the time to relax your standards. Focus on what is safe as determined by the doctors and not what is legal."
Texas Reports 4,991 More Coronavirus Cases, 114 Deaths
The provisional 7-day average daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 41 was 482, an increase from the previous daily average of 385 for CDC week 40.
The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 has increased to 11.3% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 41 (week ending 10/10/20).
A provisional total of 406 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in school-aged children (5 to 17 years) during CDC week 41, which is over twice the numbers of children diagnosed in this age group 4 weeks earlier (CDC week ending 9/12/2020).
Of all confirmed cases requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds have been under 65 years of age.
Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Of the total confirmed deaths reported to date, about 24% have been associated with long-term care facilities.
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