Dallas County reports 15 coronavirus deaths, 152 cases; Tarrant County adds two deaths, 234 cases

17:36 updated: Review to include countrywide information.

Dallas County reported 15 more COVID-19 deaths and 152 new cases of coronavirus on Friday.

The youngest victims were all in their 50s or older. Seven were men and eight women, and all but one – a man in his 60s – had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Five of the victims were Dallas residents, four were from DeSoto, two lived in Grand Prairie and one each lived in Balch Springs, Duncanville, Garland and Richardson.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that one of the victims had received two doses of coronavirus vaccine, but that it was immune-boosted due to an organ transplant.

“Immuno-compromised individuals are still vulnerable to this deadly virus even after vaccination,” Jenkins said. “If you have high-risk family members, it’s crucial that you get the vaccine and avoid large crowds so you can best protect it.”

Studies have shown that Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech are approximately 90% effective in preventing cases of COVID-19 in people receiving both doses, while Johnson & Johnson’s vaccine is approximately 67% effective. All three are very effective in preventing severe cases of the disease.

Of the new cases, 91 were confirmed and 61 likely. The numbers bring the total case of the province to 295,251, including 254,822 confirmed and 40,429 probable. The death toll is 3,783.

According to Jenkins, the number of new cases Friday was likely low due to a problem with the state’s reporting system.

The average number of new daily cases in the province for the past two weeks is 242. For the previous period of 14 days, the average was 276.

Health officials use hospitalizations, inpatient admissions and emergency visits as key statistics to track the real-time impact of COVID-19 in the country. In the 24-hour period that ended Thursday, 198 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals across the country. During the same period, 425 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 907,705 people in Dallas County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 528,374 – 26.1% of the province’s population 16 and older – were fully vaccinated.

Texas

Across the state, 3,474 more cases were reported Friday, including 3,201 new cases and 273 older cases recently reported by laboratories.

The state also reported 83 COVID-19 deaths, which increased its toll to 48,508.

Of the new cases, 2,225 were confirmed and 975 probable. Of the older cases, 146 were confirmed and 127 probable.

The state’s case is now 2,837,382, including 2,436,571 confirmed and 400,407 likely.

There are 2,917 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 553 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Thursday, 3.4% 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 7.1% as of Thursday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 4.0%. 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 rate of more than 10% is cause for concern.

According to the state, 9,836,891 people in Texas received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 6,260,744 – 27.9% of the population aged 16 and over – were fully vaccinated.

Tarrant county

Tarrant County reported two deaths and 234 cases on Friday.

The most recent victims were an Edgecliff Village man in his 70s and a Fort Worth man in his 60s. Both had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Of the new cases, 150 were confirmed and 84 likely. The numbers bring the province’s case to 254,188, including 214,032 confirmed and 40,156 likely. The death toll is 3,371.

According to the province, 163 people with the virus are being admitted to hospital.

According to the state, 668,378 people in Tarrant County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 427,295 – 26.4% of the province’s population 16 and older – were fully vaccinated.

Collin county

The state added three deaths and 170 cases to the Collin County total on Friday.

No details about the latest victims were available.

Of the new cases, 101 were confirmed and 69 likely. The numbers bring the province’s case to 88,244, of which 73,000 are confirmed and 15,244 are likely. The death toll is 811.

According to the province, 107 people with the virus are being admitted to hospital.

According to the state, 425,445 people in Collin County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 257,571 – 32.1% of the province’s population 16 and older – were fully vaccinated.

Denton county

Denton County reported 125 cases Friday. No additional deaths were reported.

The recently reported cases brought the province’s total to 73,207, including 54,075 confirmed and 19,132 likely. The death toll is 479.

According to the province, 18 people are being admitted to hospital with the virus.

According to the state, 328,358 people in Denton County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 216,479 – 31.0% of the province’s population 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: 11,268 cases (9,166 confirmed and 2,102 likely), 152 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 15,673 cases (13,170 confirmed and 2,503 probable), 253 deaths.
• Ellis County: 22,359 cases (18,711 confirmed and 3,648 probable), 309 deaths.
• Johnson County: 19,493 cases (16,633 confirmed and 2,860 likely), 364 deaths.