Dallas County Health and Human Services reported one death and 246 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, today, Oct 6.  The county has reported 1,038 total deaths to date. The total confirmed cases are 84,491.

The total new cases today include 132 from Texas Department of State Health Services, of which 33 cases were from September and 99 for October.

The death being reported today in Dallas County is a man in his 50’s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.

The city of Sachse, today, added 15 new COVID cases. Number 311 is a 16-year-old girl in Dallas County, 312 is a 50-year-old man in Collin County, 313 through 319 are in Dallas County and include a 69-year-old man, an 84-year-old man, a 40-year-old man, a 44-year-old woman, a 42-year-old woman,  a 36-year-old woman,  a 39-year-old woman and a 44-year-old woman. Case 321 is a 20-year-old woman in Collin County. Case 322 and 323, both in Dallas County, are a 14-year-old girl and a 39-year-old woman. Case 324 is a 53-year-old man in Collin County. Case 325 is a 52-year-old woman in Dallas County.

The provisional 7-day average daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 39 was 320, an increase from the previous daily average of 296 for CDC week 37. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 remains high, with 10.7% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 39.

A provisional total of 226 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in school-aged children (5 to 17 years) during CDC week 39 (week ending 9/26/2020), an increase from the previous week for this age group. The percentage of cases occurring in young adults aged 18 to 22 years has increased to 13% for the month of September.

Of the cases requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds (66%) have been under 65 years of age, and over half reported having a chronic health condition. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19.

Local health experts use hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and ER visits as three of the key indicators in determining the COVID-19 Risk Level (color-coded risk) and corresponding guidelines for activities during our COVID-19 response.

“Today we have an additional 205 confirmed cases and 41 probable cases for a total of 246 cases. Additionally, we have one reportable death of a man in his 50’s who did not have underlying high risk health conditions.

We are learning more every day about COVID-19. The CDC changed their website yesterday to reflect that COVID-19 particles can linger in the air in indoor settings with poor ventilation. Think of poor ventilation as any house that has been built onto or is an older home that had air conditioning added to it, as well as any older building and some newer buildings. That’s why it is best when possible to take your socializing outside. This includes at restaurants where patio dining is preferable to in-person dining and it includes get-togethers at your home. Consider taking the television outside to watch the game if you have friends over and eating outside and consider masking one hundred percent of the time when you are inside with people outside of your home.

COVID-19 is not a respecter of whether you are in a paid establishment or in your home. It is a virus in relentless pursuit of a host so it is up to all of us to make our best decisions, wear our mask, maintain six-foot distancing, wash our hands, and avoid crowds. This is the best way for us to protect our community from COVID-19. We are finding out that masks not only protect others from our breath, but also protect us more than originally thought, so as we find out more and more about the power of masking, make sure to wear yours,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]