Dallas County reports 40 more COVID-19 victims, Tarrant County adds 71 ​​as Texas death toll surpasses 40,000

Updated at 5:38 PM: Revised to include Tarrant County data.

Dallas County reported 40 more COVID-19 deaths and 845 new coronavirus cases Friday.

Most of the latest victims were in their sixties or older; 24 were male and 16 were female. Fifteen were residents of Dallas, eight were from Mesquite, and five lived in Garland. Three were from Lancaster, two each lived in DeSoto, Grand Prairie and Rowlett, and one each lived in Cedar Hill, Duncanville, and Richardson. Only one man, a Dallas man in his sixties, was known to have no underlying high-risk health problems.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that while the number of new deaths remained high, the lower number of hospitalized patients and new COVID-19 cases – the fewest since late November – were encouraging.

“As we enter this winter weekend, we need to protect ourselves from the elements, but also be aware of COVID,” said Jenkins. “Avoid indoor activities with people outside of your immediate household.”

Of the new cases, 540 have been confirmed and 305 were likely. The numbers bring the county’s total number of cases to 272,661, including 239,314 confirmed and 33,347 probable. The death toll is 2,604.

Health officials use hospital admissions, intensive care unit admissions, and emergency room visits as key metrics to track the real-time impact of COVID-19 in the province. In the 24-hour period ending Thursday, 686 COVID-19 patients were in acute care at hospitals in the province. During the same period, there were 337 ER visits for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 229,682 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 78,955 people have been fully vaccinated.

Due to inclement weather, Dallas County will close its Fair Park vaccine center on Sunday. The site was already scheduled to close on Saturday and Monday, and there may be future closures, officials said.

Officials said the site would reopen as soon as it is possible to do so safely and prioritize those needing their second dose.

Parkland Health & Hospital System said vaccine sites at Ellis Davis Field House in Red Bird and Eastfield Community College in Mesquite would be closed Monday and Tuesday, and vaccination clinics at Parkland Memorial Hospital and outpatient clinic would be closed Monday. Patients will be contacted with information about the appointment.

Texas

Statewide, 12,422 cases were reported Friday, including 11,371 new cases and 1,131 older recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 324 COVID-19 deaths, raising the toll rate to 40,095.

Of the new cases, 9,049 were confirmed and 2,322 were likely. Of the older cases, 1051 were confirmed and 80 were likely.

The state’s total number of cases is now 2,541,845, including 2,206,982 confirmed and 334,863 probable.

There are 8,607 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 2,328 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. Thursday, 13.8% of patients in the Dallas-Fort Worth area hospital region were COVID-19 patients – below the 15% threshold the state has used to define high hospital admissions. It was the third consecutive day that the region was below that threshold.

The seven-day mean statewide positivity rate for molecular tests, based on the date the test sample was collected, was 11.6% as of Thursday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 4.8%. A molecular test is considered more accurate and is also called a PCR test; an antigen test is also called a rapid test. Gov. Greg Abbott has said a positivity rate of more than 10% is cause for concern.

According to the state, 2,794,008 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 1,035,543 have been fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 920 coronavirus cases and 71 deaths on Friday.

The latest victims were usually in their sixties and older, and all had underlying high-risk health risks. Twenty-five were from Fort Worth, sixteen lived in Arlington, five were residents of Haltom City, and three lived in Bedford. Two each were from Richland Hills, Watauga and White Settlement, and one each lived in Benbrook, Colleyville, Crowley, Euless, Everman, Forest Hill, Grapevine, Haslet, Hurst, Keller, Mansfield, North Richland Hills, Saginaw, Sansom Park, Southlake and an unincorporated area.

Tarrant County reports higher death rates on Friday due to the state death certificate. Of the last victims, two died in November, one in December, 61 in January and seven in February.

Of the new cases, 749 were confirmed and 171 were probable. The figures bring the county’s total number of cases to 234,246, including 200,178 confirmed and 34,068 probable. The death toll is 2,625.

According to the province, 812 people with the virus have been hospitalized as of Thursday.

According to the state, 152,808 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 67,817 people have been fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added 490 coronavirus cases and 16 deaths to Collin County’s totals on Friday.

There were no details about the latest victims.

Of the new cases, 299 have been confirmed and 191 are probable. The figures bring the county’s total number of cases to 79,257, of which 67,278 are confirmed and 11,979 probable. The death toll is 669.

According to the province, 273 people have been hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 106,408 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 30,194 have been fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 529 cases of coronavirus and eight deaths on Friday.

The last victims were in their sixties or older; five were male and three were female. Two each lived in Carrollton and Frisco, and each was from Corinth, Denton, Flower Mound, and Pilot Point.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total number of cases to 59,849, including 46,248 confirmed and 13,601 probable. The death toll is 382.

According to the province, 142 people have been hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 47,249 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 20,079 people have been fully vaccinated.

Other provinces

The Texas Department of State Health Services has taken over reporting for these other North Texas counties. In some countries, new data may not be reported every day.

The latest figures are:

• Rockwall County: 10,106 cases (8,352 confirmed and 1,754 probable), 114 dead.
• Kaufman County: 14,129 cases (12,169 confirmed and 1,960 probable), 202 deaths.
• Ellis County: 19,981 cases (17,394 confirmed and 2,587 probable), 264 dead.
• Johnson County: 17,869 cases (15,540 confirmed and 2,329 probable), 301 killed.