Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 17 deaths and 1,570 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 for Jan 4.  The county reported 1,678 total deaths to date. The total confirmed cases are 179,594.

The county is also reporting a total of 21,987 probable COVID cases.

The additional deaths include:

A woman in her 20’s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She expired in an area hospital ED and had underlying high risk health conditions.

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

A woman in her 40’s who was a resident of the city of Mesquite. She was found deceased at home and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 40’s who was a resident of the city of Garland. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 40’s who was a resident of the city of Garland. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had high risk underlying health conditions.

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

A woman in her 70’s who was a resident of the city of Garland. She expired in an area hospital ED and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.

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

A man in his 70’s who was a resident of the city of Garland. 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 Sachse. He had been hospitalized and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 80’s who was a resident of the city of Garland. He expired in hospice and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 80’s who was a resident of the city of Sunnyvale. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 80’s who was a resident of the city of Garland. He had been hospitalized and had high risk underlying health conditions.

A man in his 80’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.

A man in his 80’s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the city of Dallas. He had been hospitalized and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A woman in her 90’s who was a resident of the city of Sachse. She expired in an area hospital ED and had underlying high risk health conditions.

The city of Sachse has reported 1,169 COVID-19 cases as the end of 2020 for both Collin and Dallas County residents of the city. No new cases have been reported since Dec 31.

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

“Today we report 1,570 new cases and 17 deaths, including women in their 20s, 30s, 40s and two men in their 40s as well as 12 other individuals above age 50. January and February will likely be our highest months for hospitalizations and new cases. With the vaccinations in nursing homes and other high-risk populations occurring now and accelerating in the next few days, by March we will begin to see a decline in some of our most vulnerable populations finding themselves in hospital beds. It is critical for the next 60 days that everyone continue to wear their mask and make good, smart decisions: avoid crowds, forgo get-to-gethers and wash their hands frequently. Just as it’s always the darkest before the dawn, these first two months will be difficult, but my hope is that by the end of February, things will begin to improve and continue to improve as more and more people are vaccinated. This will only happen though if we all do our part in following the proven facts that doctors tell us can help control the spread of COVID-19,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]