Dallas County reports 50 coronavirus deaths, matching record for a single day

Updated at 18:25: Review to include Dallas County numbers.

Dallas County on Thursday reported 266 new cases of coronavirus, as well as 50 deaths from COVID-19.

The deaths were the most that the country reported in a single day; it also reported 50 on 3 February.

The youngest victims were mostly in their 50s and older, but two – both men from Dallas – were in their 20s. Three of the deceased, two Dallas women in their 80s and a Garland man in his 80s, did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.

Twenty-three of the victims lived in Dallas, nine were from Grand Prairie, five from Garland and four from Lancaster. Three lived in Irving, each two from DeSoto and Mesquite, and one each lived in Coppell and Richardson.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that people should try to stay strong and help each other.

“In times like these, there can be no good news,” Jenkins said. But, he added, “We have seen a decrease in the amount of new COVID-19 infections, and most of our people have regained their power.”

Of the new cases, 210 were confirmed and 56 likely. The numbers bring the total case of the province to 276 049 – 242 094 confirmed and 33 955 probable. The death toll is 2,751.

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 Wednesday, 596 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals across the country. During the same period, there were 373 ER visits for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 249,207 people in Dallas County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 101,267 were fully vaccinated.

The province’s health department plans to resume vaccinations at Fair Park on Sunday from 1 to 18 hours, focusing on second shots. Shots will be given to persons who were due for a second dose on or before 12 February. People whose surnames start with the letters A to M must arrive between 13 and 15:30, and people whose surname begins with N to Z must arrive between 15:30 and 18:00

The site will reopen Monday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and people who would receive it on Feb. 13 or earlier provided second doses. People should arrive at about the same time of day as they received their first dose.

Texas

Across the state, 3,131 cases of coronavirus were reported on Thursday – 3,012 new cases and 119 older cases were recently reported by laboratories.

The state also reported 97 COVID-19 deaths, which increased its toll to 40,814.

The Texas Department of Health Services said that the reporting of coronavirus data was affected by the extreme weather and that the numbers would remain “artificially low” until full reporting resumed.

Of the new cases, 2,690 were confirmed and 322 likely. Of the older cases, 99 were confirmed and 20 likely.

The case of the state is now 2 574 194 – 2 234 506 confirmed and 339 688 probably.

There are 7,874 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 2,101 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. On Wednesday, 13.3% of patients in the hospital area covering 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 10.3% as of Wednesday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 3.9%. 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, 3,031,894 people in Texas received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 1,258,473 were fully vaccinated.

Tarrant county

Tarrant County on Thursday reported 18 deaths and 450 cases of coronavirus.

All but two of the youngest victims had underlying high-risk conditions. Seven Arlington residents and five lived in Fort Worth. Two were from Benbrook and one lived in Grand Prairie, Haltom City, Kennedale and Pelican Bay.

Of the new cases, 424 were confirmed and 26 likely. That number brings the province’s case to 236,911 – 202,354 confirmed and 34,557 likely. The death toll is 2,689.

According to the province, 744 people with the virus were admitted to hospital from Wednesday.

According to the state, 174,788 people in Tarrant County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 91,985 were fully vaccinated.

Collin county

The state on Thursday added one COVID-19 death and 170 cases of coronavirus to the total number of Collin County.

No details about the latest victim were available.

Of the new cases, 146 have been confirmed and 24 likely. The number brings the case of the country to 80,947, including 68,545 confirmed and 12,402 likely. The death toll is 686.

According to the province’s latest update, 329 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus.

According to the state, 116,152 people in Collin County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 38,406 were fully vaccinated.

Denton county

Denton County Public Health was closed Thursday due to the weather and did not issue a coronavirus update.

The province last reported 60,167 total cases – 46,439 confirmed and 13,728 likely. The latest death toll is 382. According to the province’s latest update, 115 people have been admitted to hospital with the virus.

According to the state, 63,278 people in Denton County received at least one dose of coronavirus vaccine, while 26,165 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: 10,274 cases (8,493 confirmed and 1,781 likely), 116 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 14,425 cases (12,380 confirmed and 2,045 probable), 208 deaths.
• Ellis County: 20,331 cases (17,677 confirmed and 2,654 probable), 267 deaths.
• Johnson County: 18,149 cases (15,758 confirmed and 2,391 probable), 304 deaths.