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 data from Tarrant County.

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

Most of the last victims were in their sixties or older; 24 were men and 16 were women. Fifteen were residents of Dallas, eight 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, a Dallas man in his 60s, was known to have no underlying high-risk health issues.

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

“As we head into this winter weekend, we need to protect ourselves from the elements, but also be aware of COVID,” Jenkins said. “Please avoid indoor activities with people outside your immediate home.”

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

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. In the 24-hour period that ended Thursday, 686 patients with COVID-19 were in acute care at county hospitals. During the same period, 337 emergency room visits were 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 are fully vaccinated.

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

Officials said the site will reopen as soon as it is safe to do so, and people who need their second doses will be given priority.

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

Texas

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

The state also reported 324 deaths from COVID-19, bringing its toll to 40,095.

Of the new cases, 9,049 were confirmed and 2,322 were probable. Of the older cases, 1,051 were confirmed and 80 were probable.

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

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

The statewide seven-day average positivity rate for molecular testing, based on the date the samples were collected, was 11.6% on Thursday. For antigenic testing, the positivity rate for the same period was 4.8%. 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 positivity rate above 10% was concerning.

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

Tarrant County

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

The latest victims were mostly in their 60s and over, and all had underlying high-risk health conditions. Twenty-five were from Fort Worth, 16 lived in Arlington, five were residents of Haltom City and three lived in Bedford. Two were each 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 has reported higher death numbers on Fridays due to when it receives death certificate data from the state. Among the latest 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, with 200,178 confirmed and 34,068 probable. The death toll is 2,625.

According to the county, 812 people are hospitalized with the virus on Thursday.

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

Collin County

On Friday, the state added 490 coronavirus cases and 16 deaths to Collin County’s total.

No details on the latest casualties were available.

Of the new cases, 299 were confirmed and 191 were 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 county, 273 people are 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 are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

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

The last victims were in their sixties or more; five were men and three were women. Two each lived in Carrollton and Frisco, and one 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 county, 142 people are 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 are fully vaccinated.

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: 10,106 cases (8,352 confirmed and 1,754 probable), 114 deaths.
• 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 deaths.
• Johnson County: 17,869 cases (15,540 confirmed and 2,329 probable), 301 deaths.