Dallas County hits record 40 coronavirus deaths, adds 1,427 new cases

Updated at 5:05 p.m .: Revised to include data from Collin County.

Dallas County reported 1,427 new cases of coronavirus on Monday, along with 40 more deaths from COVID-19.

The death toll matched the county’s single-day record, set on Wednesday. Last week was the county’s deadliest week yet during the pandemic.

The last victims were mostly between 50 and 90 years old, but two people in their 30s and one in their 40s have also died. Sixteen of the victims were residents of Dallas and eight lived in Mesquite. Four were residents of Garland, three each lived in Duncanville, Grand Prairie and Richardson, two lived in Irving and one was a resident of Carrollton.

Four victims – a Garland man in his 50s, a mesquite woman in her 70s, a Dallas woman in her 80s and a mesquite woman in her 90s – were not known to have underlying health issues at high risk. One, a Dallas woman in her 40s, was found dead in her home.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that although the number of new cases is declining, deaths will remain high for at least the next two weeks, as they are the result of the higher number of cases in December and January.

Of the new cases, 1,321 were confirmed and 106 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 259,944, including 229,090 confirmed cases and 30,854 probable cases. The death toll stands at 2,231.

Health officials are using hospitalizations, intensive care admissions and emergency room visits as key indicators to track the real-time impact of COVID-19 in the county. Due to a lag in weekend reports, these figures will be available next Tuesday.

According to state data, 143,791 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 34,938 are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Statewide, an additional 31,811 cases were reported on Monday, including 14,133 new cases and 17,678 older cases recently reported by labs. State officials said the higher than usual number of old cases was due to data entry and cleansing efforts.

The state also reported 48 deaths from COVID-19, bringing its toll to 36,539.

Of the new cases, 11,885 were confirmed and 2,248 were probable. Of the older cases, 16,142 were confirmed and 1,536 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the state’s total to 2,392,443, including 2,087,170 confirmed cases and 305,273 probable cases.

There are 11,074 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals, including 3,020 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As of Sunday, 18.8% of patients in the hospital region covering the region were COVID-19 patients – above the 15% threshold used by the state to define high hospitalizations.

The statewide seven-day average positivity rate for molecular tests, based on the date of sample collection, was 13.4% on Sunday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 6.7%. A molecular test is considered more accurate and is sometimes referred to as a PCR test; an antigen test is also called a rapid test. Gov. Greg Abbott said a positivity rate of over 10% was concerning.

According to state data, 1,947,164 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 499,436 are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 1,887 coronavirus cases and 28 deaths on Monday.

The last victims were mostly over 60, but a man and woman in their 30s also died. Fourteen of the victims were residents of Fort Worth and three each lived in Forest Hill and North Richland Hills. Two were residents of Arlington and one each lived in Aledo, Benbrook, Crowley, Euless, Grapevine and Hurst.

Of the new cases, 1,257 were confirmed and 630 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 220,685, including 189,293 confirmed cases and 31,392 probable cases. The death toll stands at 2,240.

According to the county, 1,048 people are hospitalized with the virus on Sunday.

According to state data, 112,310 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 21,202 are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

On Monday, the state added 875 coronavirus cases and three Collin County total deaths.

No details on the latest casualties were available.

Of the new cases, 806 were confirmed and 69 were probable.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total to 73,580, including 62,986 confirmed cases and 10,594 probable cases. The death toll stands at 580.

According to the county, 467 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to state data, 53,021 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 14,679 are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 600 coronavirus cases and seven deaths on Monday.

The latest victims include four Flower Mound residents: a man in his 60s and two women over 80 who lived in Hollymead, and a man over 80 who lived in The Oaks in Flower Mound. The other victims were a 70-year-old Frisco, a Highland Village man over 80, and a Lewisville man over 80 who lived at the Gracious Care Home.

The newly reported cases bring the county total to 54,154, including 42,735 confirmed cases and 11,419 probable cases. The death toll stands at 325.

According to the county, 179 people are hospitalized with the virus.

State data shows 29,401 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 8,828 are fully vaccinated.

As of Tuesday, a vaccination site at Texas Motor Speedway will aim to distribute 10,000 doses of vaccine per day – handing out a county allowance of 32,000 over three days – with 16 drive-thru vaccination routes.

Other counties

The Texas Department of State Health Services have resumed reporting for these other North Texas counties. In some countries, new data may not be communicated every day.

The latest numbers are:

• Rockwall County: 9,337 cases (7,762 confirmed and 1,575 probable), 100 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 13,005 cases (11,281 confirmed and 1,724 probable), 182 deaths.
• Ellis County: 18,561 cases (16,240 confirmed and 2,321 probable), 233 deaths.
• Johnson County: 16,483 cases (14,503 confirmed and 1,980 probable), 268 deaths.