On Saturday, in the four large counties of North Texas, there were 35 more deaths from COVID-19 and 1,815 new reported cases of the virus.
Details of Dallas, Tarrant, Denton and Collin counties are detailed below and are based on data reported on Saturday, Feb. 27 by county officials, local health departments and the state health department.
Dallas County
Dallas County on Saturday reported another 10 deaths from COVID-19 along with 570 new cases of the virus. In the past seven days, the county has announced 3,732 new and likely cases of the virus, an average of 533 a day and 135 deaths, an average of 19 deaths a day.
As of March 2020, the county has reported a total of 280,404 cases of the virus, including 245,278 confirmed cases (PCR) and 35,126 probable cases (antigen). There have been 2,951 deaths attributed to the virus; it is currently estimated that there are 264,544 recoveries leaving an estimated 12,909 active cases in the county.
Tarrant County
Tarrant County Public Health added another 13 deaths from COVID-19 on Saturday, along with 645 new cases of the virus. In the past seven days, the county has announced 3,576 new and likely cases of the virus, an average of 510 a day and 97 deaths, an average of 14 deaths a day.
As of March 2020, the county has reported a total of 241,650 cases of the virus, including 205,676 confirmed cases (PCR) and 35,974 probable cases (antigen). There have been 2,854 deaths attributed to the virus; there are currently an estimated 222,139 recoveries, leaving an estimated 16,660 active cases in the county.
Denton County
Denton County Public Health reported an additional 349 cases of COVID-19 on Saturday with nine deaths. Of the new cases reported, DCPH confirmed that 319 are active, while 30 have already deleted the recovery protocol.
As of March 2020, Denton County has reported a total of 63,994 cases of the virus, including 48,806 confirmed cases (PCR) and 15,188 probable cases (antigen). There have been 407 deaths attributed to the virus; it is estimated that there are currently 51,406 recoveries, leaving an estimated 12,180 active cases in the county.
Collin County
The Texas State Department of Health Services reported Saturday three new deaths from COVID-19 in Collin County, along with an additional 175 recently confirmed and 77 probable cases of the virus.
As of March 2020, the DSHS has reported a total of 83,100 cases of the virus in Collin County, including 69,920 confirmed cases (PCR) and 13,180 probable cases (antigen). There have been 719 deaths attributed to the virus; it is estimated that there are currently 68,759 recoveries, leaving an estimated 13,622 active cases in the county.
Want to get a waiting list for vaccines?
When the state begins distributing COVID-19 vaccines to people in Phase 1A and 1B, county health departments have begun waiting lists for those who wish to be inoculated.
You can now register to get vaccinated in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. The links are below:
Waiting list links: Collin – Search the waiting list | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant
You do not need to be a county resident to register for a COVID-19 vaccine in that county; registration is open to anyone in Texas. For those without Internet access, Tarrant County is also registering by phone at 817-248-6299. In Dallas County, call the DCHHS Vaccine Hotline at 1-855-IMMUNE9 (1-855-466-8639). In Denton County, call 940-349-2585.
Currently, the vaccine is only given to those who are in phases 1A and 1B, as indicated by the Texas State Department of Health Services. Those in phase 1A are front-line health workers or residents in long-term care centers. Phase 1B includes those over 65 or over 16 with a chronic illness that puts them at risk for serious illness.
The DSHS said on Feb. 4 that they are still debating when to expand the availability of vaccines to group 1C and whether or not that group will include teachers.
Once vaccinated, people are expected to get some level of protection within a couple of weeks after the first shot, but full protection may not happen until a couple of weeks after the second shot. Even when fully vaccinated, it is still possible to become infected with the virus, as the vaccine does not offer 100% protection.
The Texas DSHS reports that the vaccine will not be readily available to the general public until late spring or early summer 2021.
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