Dallas County Health and Human Services reported two deaths and 395 new cases of COVID-19 on Aug. 29, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 70,810 with 900 total deaths to date.

The total number of probable cases in Dallas County is 2,875, including 8 probable deaths from COVID-19.

The total new cases today include 65 from Texas Department of State Health Services in April (2), May (11), June (13), July (13) and August (26).

The additional two deaths being reported today include the following:

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 did not have underlying high risk health conditions.

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

 “Today we have 395 new cases of COVID-19 as 39 were old cases from the State’s still troubled electronic

laboratory reporting (ELR) system, so the total number of cases for the day is 434. As you know, we’ve given you rolling averages of new daily cases from Sunday to Saturday, and for this week that number is 320, compared to 1501 last week; however, with the backlog from the State’s ELR system, that number is less accurate and therefore less meaningful. Our team at Dallas County Health and Human Services is tracking all cases by the date the COVID-19 test is collected and tracks the daily average of new cases by CDC week. For the week ending August 15th, our daily average of new cases was 299 and for the week ending August 22nd, that average has dropped to 206. I’ve included the chart below to show the positive trend we’re seeing as the daily average of new cases continues to drop week to week.

Today we are also reporting two deaths from COVID_19, bringing us to the grim milestone of 900 deaths to date in Dallas County from confirmed cases of COVID-19. Additionally, there are eight total probable deaths from COVID-19.

It is hot out there and masks can be inconvenient but it is imperative that we all wear our mask, maintain six foot distance, frequently wash our hands, avoid unnecessary trips and avoid any activity where you are indoors or around others and everyone cannot wear their mask one hundred percent of the time. If we continue doing this, we’ll continue to see gains, we’ll have less sickness and death, more businesses will stay open and our kids can get back to school sooner rather than later. We all have a role to play, and it’s everyone’s job to make smart decisions and to follow the science which can be found at www.DallasCountyCOVID.org,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

From August 1st to 14th, 531 school-aged children between 5 to 18 years of age were reported to have been

diagnosed with confirmed COVID-19. About 50% of these cases were high school age. By zip code of

residence, 302 (57%) of these children were projected to have been enrolled in Dallas ISD schools. 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.

The 7-day average daily new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases (by date of test collection) for CDC

week 33 was 295. The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 has been

declining but remains high, with about 12.8% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing

positive in week 33. Of the total confirmed deaths reported to date, about 26% have been associated with longterm care facilities. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with a more detailed summary report updated Tuesdays and Fridays.

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 388 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County for the period ending Wednesday, August 26. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 512 in the 24 hour period ending Wednesday, August 26, which represents around 21 percent of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council. While these numbers represent a significant decline from record highs, the disruptive impact of COVID-19 on our populations and health care systems remains.

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. The 7-day average daily new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 32 was 398.

The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 has been declining but remains high, with about 14% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 32. Of the total confirmed deaths reported to date, about 26% have been associated with long-term care facilities. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with a more detailed summary report updated Tuesdays and Fridays.

From Staff Reports • [email protected]