Dallas County Health and Human Services reported four deaths and 238 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, today, Oct 8.  The county has reported 1,044 total deaths to date. The total confirmed cases are 85,189.

The total new cases today include 19 from Texas Department of State Health Services, including cases from September (1) and October (18).

The four deaths being reported in Dallas County are:

A woman in her 30’s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions

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 had underlying high risk health conditions.

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 had underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 70’s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

The provisional 7-day average daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 39 was 348, an increase from the previous daily average of 316 for CDC week 38. 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 252 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 12% 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. There were 298 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Wednesday, October 7. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 534 for the 24-hour period ending on Wednesday, October 7, which represents around 20 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

“Today we announce 238 new COVID-19 positive cases and 4 deaths, including a person in their 30’s and two people in their 50’s. Our numbers in recent weeks have gone in the wrong direction, and it’s up to all of us to reverse that trend so that more people will stay safe, more businesses will thrive, and more children will be able to experience in–person classes. The decisions you make today will impact the numbers next week and the week after, so please resist the urge to go to large group settings and wear your mask, maintain six-foot distance and wash your hands regularly to help control the increasing spread of COVID-19.

There is increasing evidence that masking protects not only others but the wearer, and with the weather improving and it being pleasant outside, it is less of an inconvenience to take your gatherings outside (remember bug spray) and to wear the mask due to it not being as hot. We must not let our own convenience or our selfish desires to participate in the few activities that doctors say are not safe trump our shared human commitment to protect each other, public health, and our economy,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]