Pregnant woman from Dallas, boy under 10 from Fort Worth among latest COVID-19 victims in North Texas

Dallas County reported 1,303 new cases of coronavirus and 30 more deaths from COVID-19 on Tuesday.

Among the victims were a pregnant Dallas woman in her 20s and an Irving woman in her 30s who had recovered from a case of COVID-19 six months ago but was re-infected. Meanwhile, a Fort Worth boy under the age of 10 was among 36 newly reported casualties in Tarrant County.

Most of the latest Dallas County victims were in their 50s or older, and only two of them were known to not have underlying high-risk health issues. Ten were residents of Dallas, six lived in Irving and four were from Mesquite. Two were each from Garland, Grand Prairie and Seagoville, and one each lived in Carrollton, Coppell, DeSoto, and Sachse.

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement February will continue to be a tough month as people infected with the coronavirus in December and January die from COVID-19, but new cases are on the decline and more residents can help keep those numbers low.

“Our actions and sacrifices today can and will make a difference, not only in the cases we see in a few weeks, but also in the hospitalizations and deaths that usually follow about a month later,” said Jenkins.

Of the new cases, 1,187 were confirmed and 116 were probable. The figures bring the county’s total number of cases to 269,565, of which 236,925 are confirmed and 32,640 probable. The death toll is 2,482.

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 Monday, 772 patients with COVID-19 were in acute care at county hospitals. During the same period, 419 emergency room visits were for symptoms of the disease.

According to the state, 205,457 people in Dallas County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 62,242 are fully vaccinated.

Texas

Statewide, an additional 13,523 cases were reported on Tuesday, including 12,966 new cases and 557 older cases recently reported by labs.

The state also reported 301 deaths from COVID-19, bringing its toll to 39,001.

Of the new cases, 10,378 were confirmed and 2,588 were probable. Of the older cases, 469 have been confirmed and 88 were probable.

The state’s total number of cases is now 2,504,556, of which 2,177,572 are confirmed and 326,984 probable.

There are 9,401 patients with COVID-19 in Texas hospitals, including 2,543 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. As of Monday, 15.7% of patients in the hospital region covering the Dallas-Fort Worth area 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 testing, based on the date the samples were taken, was 11.2% on Monday. For antigen tests, the positivity rate for the same period was 5.3%. A molecular test is considered more accurate and is sometimes also 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 the state, 2,549,120 people in Texas have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 842,870 are fully vaccinated.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 893 coronavirus cases and 36 deaths on Tuesday.

Most of the victims were in their 50s and over, but one was a boy from Fort Worth under 10 years old. Sixteen of the 36, including the boy, were residents of Fort Worth, while eight lived in Arlington. Three were from Mansfield, two were from Euless, and one each was from Azle, Haltom City, Hurst, Kennedale, Lake Worth, North Richland Hills and River Oaks. All but two had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Of the new cases, 812 were confirmed and 81 were probable. The figures bring the county’s total number of cases to 230,981, of which 197,551 are confirmed and 33,430 probable. The death toll is 2,509.

According to the county, 891 people are hospitalized with the virus on Monday.

According to the state, 139,352 people in Tarrant County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 46,522 are fully vaccinated.

Collin County

The state added 593 coronavirus cases and seven deaths in Collin County’s total on Tuesday.

No details on the latest casualties were available.

Of the new cases, 510 were confirmed and 83 were probable. The figures bring the county’s total number of cases to 77,666, with 66,189 confirmed and 11,477 probable. The death toll is 636.

According to the county, 365 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 90,787 people in Collin County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 24,853 are fully vaccinated.

Denton County

Denton County reported 681 cases of the coronavirus on Tuesday. No additional deaths were reported.

The newly reported cases bring the county’s total number of cases to 57,919, including 45,032 confirmed and 12,887 probable. The death toll is 348.

According to the county, 169 people are hospitalized with the virus.

According to the state, 41,664 people in Denton County have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 16,010 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: 9,956 cases (8,236 confirmed and 1,720 probable), 111 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 13,875 cases (11,975 confirmed and 1,900 probable), 195 deaths.
• Ellis County: 19,695 cases (17,172 confirmed and 2,523 probable), 256 deaths.
• Johnson County: 17,536 cases (15,316 confirmed and 2,220 probable), 296 deaths.