Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 15 deaths and 2,292 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, Dec. 30.  The county reported 1,611 total deaths to date. The total confirmed cases are 170,747.

The county is also reporting a total of 20,797 probable cases.

The additional deaths include:

A man in his 20’s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. He expired in an area emergency department and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A woman in her 40’s who was a resident of the city of Irving. He expired in an area hospital ED and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A woman in her 50’s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.

A woman in her 50’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 50’s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had high risk underlying health conditions.

A man in his 50’s who was a resident of the city of Mesquite. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 60’s who was a resident of the city of Mesquite. He was hospitalized and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 60’s who was a resident of Garland. He 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 a long-term care facility in the city of Mesquite. 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 Mesquite. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk 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 70’s who was a resident of the city of Cedar Hill. She 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 was hospitalized at an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A woman in her 90’s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She had been hospitalized and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 90’s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the city of Dallas. He expired in the facility and had underlying high risk health conditions.

The city of Sachse has reported 1,160 COVID-19 cases as Dec. 30 for both Collin and Dallas County residents of the city. New cases for Dallas County include a 12, 17, 19, 22, 37, 42, 43, 50, 50, 54, 56, 58 a 70-year-old female and an infant, 7, 9, 11, 15, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 22, 32, 34, 39, 51, 60 and 71-year-old male. New Collin County cases include a 13, 17, 32, 39, 44, 59, 59 and 59-year-old female and a 7, 13, 16, 23, 38, 47, 49, and 51-year-old male.

The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 51 was to 1,787, which is a rate of 67.8 daily new cases per 100,000 residents. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 remains high, with 26.5% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 51 (week ending 12/19/20). Since the beginning of the pandemic, over 3,864 healthcare workers and first responders have been diagnosed with COVID-19 in Dallas County.

Over the past 30 days, there have been 5,971 COVID-19 cases in school-aged children and staff reported from 756 separate K-12 schools in Dallas County, including 569 staff members. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 21 school nurses have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

There are currently 102 active long-term care facility outbreaks. This is the highest number of long-term care facilities with active outbreaks reported in Dallas County since the beginning of the pandemic. This year, a total of 2,954 residents and 1,687 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 665 have been hospitalized and 352 have died. About 22% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities. Forty-two 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 115 cases. One facility has reported 93 COVID-19 outbreak 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. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with more detailed summary reports updated Tuesday and Friday evenings are available at: https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/2019-novel-coronavirus/daily-updates.php

Due to the observance of the New Year’s holiday, Dallas County will not be releasing COVID-19 data on Friday, January 1. Reporting will resume Saturday, January 2. Saturday’s reporting will include data processed Thursday evening and Sunday’s reporting will include data from Friday and Saturday.

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 1,018 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Monday, December 28. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 557 for the same time-period, which represents around 25 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

According to Dallas County officials, 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 989 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending on Tuesday, December 29. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 659 for the same time-period, which represents around 23 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council. Hospital numbers remain near record highs in the county and continue to rise regionally. While these high numbers are predictable, they are also preventable. Individual behavior changes and precautionary actions can lessen the surge. Hospitals are our last line of defense and they are running out of staffed beds to care for our sickest patients. Please take personal responsibility to stop the spread of COVID-19 by following public health guidance. Avoid meeting outside your household, avoid indoor settings such as restaurants, bars, and malls, and stay home to the fullest extent possible. #StayHomeStaySafe was critical to the county in the spring and summer, with higher numbers today officials are asking the community to commit to that strategy again.

On December 3, Trauma Service Area E (TSA E), which includes Dallas County and the greater Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex, reached seven consecutive days where the percentage of COVID-19 confirmed patients in regional hospitals, as a percentage of available hospital beds, exceeded 15 percent. According to Governor Abbott’s Executive Order GA-32 (GA-32), this makes TSA E an area with high hospitalizations and certain occupancy reductions are automatically triggered by reaching this threshold.

“We are reporting an additional 2,292 cases and 15 deaths today, ranging in ages from a man in his 20’s to individuals in their 90’s. We continue to see an increase in the daily average of new cases and the positivity rate as shown in the CDC week 51 summary from DCHHS. We’re now at an all-time high for the average of new daily cases as we head into another holiday weekend.

If you haven’t already, please rethink your New Year’s plans and celebrate with only those in your immediate household and avoid high-risk locations like bars or restaurants. Our hospitals are stretched, at or near capacity, and our healthcare heroes need you to do your part to help our community by following the public health guidance. We have limited ICU bed availability, only 16 adult ICU beds, for a county of 2.7 million residents, and these beds are not solely for COVID patients, but other acute illness, traumas, and acute surgery recovery. Please take personal responsibility to stop the spread of COVID-19 and protect yourself, your friends and family, and your community,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]