Judge Clay Jenkins Says Models Show Dallas County On Path To 1K New Coronavirus Cases Per Day By Thanksgiving
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 479 new confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Dallas County for a cumulative total of 94,837 confirmed cases (PCR test).
The county also announced three more deaths, bringing the total to 1,104.
There are 145 additional probable cases (antigen test) to report for a total of 5,558 probable cases including 14 probable deaths.
Of the 479 new confirmed cases reported Wednesday, 346 came through the Texas Department of State Health Services' electronic laboratory reporting system, and all are from October.
"As our numbers continue to climb, I'll remind you that we know what we need to do, we just need to do it: wear your mask and avoid crowds," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in a statement. "The most recent medical models indicate that we'll have above 1,000 new cases per day by Thanksgiving unless we change our behavior, push through the COVID fatigue, and go back to doing the things that we know will keep us safe. We don't want to get into the holiday season when it gets colder, more people are inside, and there are more gatherings with people outside our home, during an extremely high COVID spike or we will be in for a bad holiday season and spring. Let's all band together now and move from selfishness to sacrifice to put our families, our community and our economy in a safer, better place."
The additional three deaths reported Wednesday include two Dallas women in their 60s who had been critically ill in area hospitals and had underlying high risk health conditions.
Also, an Irving man in his 80s who had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.
Texas Coronavirus Hospitalizations Increase Nearly 2,500 Since Beginning Of Month
The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 42 was 588, the highest daily average of new cases since July.
The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 has increased to 14.2% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 42 (week ending 10/17/20).
A provisional total of 493 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in school-aged children (5 to 17 years) during CDC week 42 – about twice the numbers of children diagnosed in this age group 3 weeks earlier (CDC week ending 9/26/2020).
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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