Dallas County Sees Less COVID-19 Cases On Average This Week, Hospitalizations Remain 'Flat'
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas County ended the week with less COVID-19 cases on average, and Judge Clay Jenkins said the county "will hopefully begin to see a decline."
However, Jenkins made it clear that a decline in cases "is entirely up to you."
The county reported 172 more confirmed cases on Saturday, bringing the total to 8,649. The county remains the second-highest in the state for case count behind Harris County, which has over 10,000.
"Today's number ends the week with an average of 200 cases a day, down from an average of 233 cases a day last week. We had 40 deaths this week, including the three that were announced today, and this is up from 27 last week. The hospitalizations for COVID-19, ICU admissions, and emergency room visits for COVID-19 symptoms have remained flat over the last week," Jenkins said.
Three more deaths were also reported Saturday: a Richardson man in his 70s who was a resident at a long-term care facility, a Seagoville woman in her 80s who was hospitalized and a Mesquite man in his 80s who died at his long-term care facility.
Officials also reported that over 80% of patients who required hospitalization and named their employment have been "critical infrastructure workers."
According to officials, this includes workers in health care, transportation, food and agriculture, and first responders.
Officials said about two-thirds of hospitalizations have been residents under 65 years old and that about half of them do not have high-risk conditions.
"Overall, this week has been good news and we will hopefully begin to see a decline, but that is entirely up to you. We must all make good decisions and focus not on what is legal, but on what is safe," Jenkins said.
