Dallas County reports 31 deaths from COVID-19 on commemoration of the first case of the virus in North Texas

Updated at 16:07: Review to include data from Denton County.

Dallas County reported another 31 COVID-19 deaths and 265 new cases of coronavirus on Tuesday – a year after the first “presumably positive” case from North Texas was reported in Collin County.

Since March 9, 2020, more than 740,000 people in the Dallas-Fort Worth area have contracted COVID-19 and more than 8,300 have died from it.

All of Dallas County’s youngest victims were in their 50s or older, and it’s not known that anyone has underlying high-risk health conditions. Twenty-one were men and 10 women.

Fourteen of the victims were residents of Dallas, and three were each from Grand Prairie and Mesquite. Two were each from DeSoto and Garland, and one each lived in Balch Springs, Carrollton, Cedar Hill, Irving, Richardson, Rowlett and Seagoville.

District Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that the daily number of new cases was declining, but that the number of deaths had remained ‘stubbornly high’.

Jenkins noted that deaths from COVID-19 are indicative of the disease: “Many of the deaths we are experiencing now are from people who fell ill when the number of cases was very high.”

Of the new cases, 251 were confirmed and 14 likely. The numbers bring the province’s total case to 284,775, including 248,225 confirmed and 36,550 likely. The death toll is 3,180.

Health officials use hospitalizations, admissions to intensive care and visits to emergencies as key statistics to track the real-time impact of COVID-19 in the country. In the 24-hour period that ended Monday, 309 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals across the country – the lowest number in five months. During the same period, 318 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 376,242 people in Dallas County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 211,516 – 10.5% of the province’s population 16 and older – were fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 5,313 cases were reported Tuesday, including 4,807 new cases and 506 older cases recently reported by laboratories.

The state also reported 167 COVID-19 deaths, which increased its toll to 44,650.

Of the new cases, 3,744 were confirmed and 1,063 likely. Of the older cases, 413 were confirmed and 93 likely.

The state’s case is now 2,694,726, including 2,326,885 confirmed and 367,841 likely.

There are 4,702 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 1,041 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Monday, 6.5% of patients in the hospital region treating the Dallas-Fort Worth area were COVID-19 patients – below the 15% threshold used by the state to define high hospitalizations.

The seven-day average positivity rate across the country for molecular tests, based on the date of collection of the test sample, was 6.6% as of Monday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 2.8%. A molecular test is considered more accurate and is sometimes also called a PCR test; an antigen test is also called a rapid test. Gov. Greg Abbott said a positive percentage of more than 10% is cause for concern.

According to the state, 4,529,070 people in Texas received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 2,463,005 – 11.0% of the population aged 16 and older – were fully vaccinated.

Tarrant county

Tarrant County reported seven deaths and 244 cases on Tuesday.

The most recent victims were two Arlington residents, a woman in her 50s and a man in his 80s; two Fort Worth women in their 80s; A basement woman in her 80s; a man from Richland Hills in his thirties; and a Watauga man older than 90. Six of them had underlying high-risk health conditions, officials said.

Of the new cases, 135 were confirmed and 109 likely. The number amounts to the province’s case at 245 629, including 208 299 confirmed and 37 330 probable. The death toll is 3,028.

According to the province, 342 people with the virus were admitted to hospital as of Monday.

According to the state, 269,904 people in Tarrant County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 176,540 – 11.1% of the province’s population 16 and older – were fully vaccinated.

Collin county

The state on Tuesday added two deaths and 158 cases to the Collin County total.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 95 were confirmed and 63 likely. The number brings the case of the province to 84,309, including 70,619 confirmed and 13,690 likely. The death toll is 751.

According to the province, 193 people are being admitted to hospital with the virus.

According to the state, 169,456 people in Collin County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 103,098 – 12.8% of the province’s population 16 and older – were fully vaccinated.

Denton county

Denton County reported six deaths and 460 cases on Tuesday.

Three of the youngest victims were residents of Avanti Senior Living at Flower Mound: a man in his 70s and two women over 80. The other was a Denton man in his 70s, a Justin man in his 70s and ‘ a Northlake man over 80.

The newly reported cases bring the province’s case to 68,236, of which 51,108 are confirmed and 17,128 are likely. The death toll is 431.

According to the province, 62 people with the virus are being admitted to hospital.

According to the state, 119,555 people in Denton County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 84,823 – 12.1% of the population aged 16 and older – were fully vaccinated.

Other provinces

The Texas Department of Public Health has taken over reporting for these other North Texas counties. In some provinces, new data is not reported every day.

The latest numbers are:

• Rockwall County: 10,772 cases (8,853 confirmed and 1,919 probable), 133 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 15,084 cases (12,799 confirmed and 2,285 likely), 225 deaths.
• Ellis County: 21,407 cases (18,146 confirmed and 3,261 likely), 288 deaths.
• Johnson County: 18,810 cases (16,190 confirmed and 2,620 probable), 338 deaths.