Dallas County Health and Human Services reported six deaths and 1,947 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, Dec 15.  The county reported 1,391 total deaths to date. The total confirmed cases are 147,591. Yesterday, Dallas County officials indicated that of all COVID-19 hospitalizations, one-third were in ICU and one-fifth were on ventilators.

The county is also reporting a total of 16,201 probable cases.

The additional deaths today include:

A woman in her 40’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 woman in her 60’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 woman in her 70’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 woman in her 80’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.

The city of Sachse has reported 24 COVID-19 cases today, Dec. 15 for both Collin and Dallas County residents of the city. Total cases for the city are now 934. Dallas County cases include a 1, 12, 32, 34, 49, 59, 61, 66 and 73-year-old female and a 9, 19, 24, 33, 38, 40, 54, 58 and 64-year-old male. Collin County cases include a 34-year-old female and a 23, 29, 49 and 50-year-old male.

The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 49 has increased to 1,560, which is a rate of 56.6 daily new cases per 100,000 residents—the highest case rate in Dallas County since the beginning of the pandemic. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 has increased, with 21.6% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 49 (week ending 12/5/20).

Over the past 30 days there have been 4,520 COVID-19 cases in school-aged children and staff reported from over 735 separate K-12 schools in Dallas County, including 681 staff members. Of these cases, 534 have been associated with extracurricular activities, including athletics.

There are currently 97 active long-term care facility outbreaks. Over the past 30 days, a total of 928 COVID-19 cases have been reported from these facilities, including 364 staff members. Of these cases 35 have been hospitalized, and 41 have died, including 2 deaths of staff members. Twenty-six outbreaks of COVID-19 in congregate-living facilities (e.g. homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes) have been reported in the past 30 days associated with 166 cases, including 8 hospitalizations. One facility has reported 89 confirmed COVID-19 cases since October.

Of all confirmed cases requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds have been under 65 years of age. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Of the total confirmed deaths reported to date, about 22% have been associated with long-term care facilities. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate.

Local health experts use hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and ER visits as three of the key indicators as part of determining the COVID-19 Risk Level (color-coded risk) and corresponding guidelines for activities during our COVID-19 response. There were 800 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Monday, December 14. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 476 for the same time-period, which represents around 24 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council. UTSW modeling predicts hospitalizations could be as high as 900 in Dallas County and 1,250 in Tarrant County by December 22.

“Today we add 1,947 new cases and six deaths to our numbers for COVID. This also marks the first day of the COVID vaccine at Parkland Hospital, and in the coming days, more and more hospitals will get the vaccine, and will be able to give them to their healthcare heroes. In the coming days, we’ll begin the vaccinations in nursing homes, and as more vaccines are approved and production ramps up, more supply will become available. It will still be some time before the general public will have broad access to the vaccines with the government working to get it to people in the order of their degree of risk.

We must all use the tools available to us during this time of high spread and throughout this holiday season and New Year until the vaccine is widely administered and able to do its effect. The two biggest tools we have at our disposal are our masks, which the CDC advises should always be worn indoors when in buildings other than your own home and around other people in stationary outdoor settings as well. The other tool at our disposal is the vaccine of our patriotism and smart decision-making. Now nearly a year into the COVID worldwide pandemic, doctors and scientists know a great deal about how we can keep safe and the facts are clear: avoiding crowds and forgoing get-togethers is the best way to keep yourself, your family, your community and your country strong at this time of high spread. Please do your part and please have a safe and meaningful holiday season,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]