Dallas County Reports 325 New Coronavirus Cases, 2 Deaths
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 325 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases Monday, bringing the total confirmed case count in Dallas County to 78,205
The county also confirmed two more deaths, bringing the total to 997.
The deceased patients were a Dallas man in his 50s and a Dallas woman in her 50s who both had underlying high risk health conditions. Both had been critically ill in an area hospital.
Of the 325 new cases reported Monday, 177 came through the Texas Department of State Health Services' electronic laboratory reporting system and two were from August.
"The deaths today are of two people in their 50's which is an important reminder that COVID-19 can be deadly in middle-aged populations. We've seen deadly cases in teenagers up through people in their 90's and this does not account for people on ventilators or with very serious illnesses. This is a critical reason why it's important that we all practice one hundred percent masking and at least six-foot social distancing as well as washing hands, avoiding unnecessary trips, and avoiding indoor activities where people are not masked one hundred percent of the time," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in a statement.
The provisional 7-day average daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 37 was 240, a decrease from the previous daily average of 279 for CDC week 36.
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 37.
Texas Reports 1,742 New Coronavirus Cases, 24 Deaths
A provisional total of 156 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in school-aged children (5 to 17 years) during CDC week 37 (week ending 9/12/2020), an increase from the previous week for this age group. The percentage of cases occurring in young adults aged 18 to 22 years has increased to 14% over the past 2 weeks.
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 25% have been associated with long-term care facilities.
"With the weather getting cooler, those interested in a restaurant dining experience, should consider patio dining as preferable to indoor dining. Indoor spacing may become more difficult now that the percentage of occupancy in a restaurant has increased to seventy-five percent. It's important that you check the spacing and protocols for businesses that you frequent to make sure that you can follow the guidelines here. Those guidelines require all persons not eating or drinking to be masked and for the tables to have six-foot separation," Judge Jenkins said. Similarly, shopping may become more challenging as more people may return to retail establishments and so choosing the right time and businesses who achieve compliance with one hundred percent masking from patrons will be very important. As more kids go back to school, and occupancies increase, your vigilance in making good decisions to protect you, your family and public health is absolutely essential to keeping less people from getting sick, helping more businesses and jobs to thrive and more kids to get back to school sooner rather than later."