Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 10 deaths and 787 new cases of COVID-19 on Aug. 18, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 66,065 with 839 total deaths to date.

The additional ten deaths reported today are the following:

A man in his 50s who was a resident of the City of Balch Springs. He was critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A woman in her 60s who was a resident of the City of Irving. She was critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A woman in her 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She was critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He was critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A woman in her 70s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She was critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

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

A man in his 70s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He was hospitalized and had underlying high risk health conditions.

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

A man in his 80s who was a resident of the City of Grand Prairie. He was critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

A man in his 80s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Dallas. He was critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins released the following statement today:

“Today we have 237 new COVID-19 positive cases to be reported of people who were tested in August. The State also gave us 550 cases of people whose tests were lost from July and June. We provided a similar breakdown for Sunday and have requested but not received one for yesterday’s numbers. Keep in mind that it’s also possible that some of the cases from August were from early August and lost briefly in the State’s electronic laboratory reporting (ELR) system as well.

The most accurate numbers for trends come out each Tuesday and Friday in the Dallas County Health and Human Services 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Summary report which is attached. With the uncertainty around when the State’s ELR system will be fixed, we should pay particularly close attention to this COVID-19 Summary report. Figure 1 of the report shows a significant decline in the number of positive COVID-19 cases by date of test collection and includes all the backlogged cases reported through 8pm last night to DCHHS.

It is quite understandable at this point that people would have concerns about computer programs, coding errors, contractors who did not mail things timely and other human errors around testing and reporting; however, the underlying science and the medical recommendations to you and the public are sound, and when employed, are effective around the globe. For instance, in jurisdictions with a masking requirement, you’ve seen a significant drop in the number of COVID-19 cases and the trajectory of infection. Study after study shows that six-foot social distancing, frequent hand washing, avoiding unnecessary trips and crowds, and staying away from unmasked people outside your family are proven measures to combat the spread of COVID-19.

There’s a lot of uncertainty out there but one thing that is not in doubt is that we will get through this together, and the best way for us to do that is to listen to the doctors who have trained their entire adult lives for this moment. If we all make our best decisions individually, for our family, and for our businesses, we will have less North Texans get sick, more businesses stay open, and our children back to school sooner rather than later.”

Dallas County also released the following summary today:

As of August 18, 2020, DCHHS is reporting 787 additional confirmed cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), bringing the total number of confirmed cases in Dallas County to 66,065, including 839 confirmed deaths.

The total number of probable cases in Dallas County is 2,526, including 7 probable COVID-19 associated deaths.

• The 7-day average daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 32 was 398.
• From August 6 to 14th, 227 school-aged children between 5 to 18 years of age were diagnosed with confirmed COVID-19. Over 3,549 children under 18 years of age have been diagnosed with confirmed COVID-19 since July 1st, including 66 children who have been hospitalized for COVID-19.
• The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 remains high with 14.0% among symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals in week 32 (week ending 8/8/20).
• Of the 6,978 cases requiring hospitalization to date, almost three-quarters (70%) 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.
• Of cases requiring hospitalization who reported employment, almost 80% have been critical infrastructure workers, with a broad range of affected occupational sectors, including: healthcare, transportation, food and agriculture, public works, finance, communications, clergy, first responders and other essential functions.
• Twenty-six percent (26%) of deaths have been associated with long-term care facilities.

Note: Does not include positive results from persons who reside out-of-state or outside of Dallas County.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]