Dallas County reported a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations Tuesday and new cases Tuesday along with 14 more deaths.
The county reported 3,549 positive cases on Tuesday, which was 350 more than its previous high mark, but it also registered 1,226 COVID-19 patients who were in county hospitals until Monday night. They also reported 462 emergency visits for people with symptoms of COVID-19 on Monday.
Of the cases reported Monday, the county said 2,979 were confirmed cases and 570 were probable cases (antigen test), bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county from March 2020 to 197,359 and the number of probable cases (antigen test) at 25,276. The total number of confirmed and probable cases in the county is now 222,635. Over the past seven days, Dallas County officials have reported 18,260 new confirmed and probable cases of the virus for an average of 2,609 a day.
County officials said Monday there have been 1,791 deaths in the county attributed to the virus since March 2020. The 14 victims announced Tuesday include people between the ages of 40 and 80, who were hospitalized and were residents of Dallas. Highland Park, Mesquite and DeSoto.
With the deaths announced Tuesday, the city of Dallas has lost 1,000 residents due to the virus since March 2020.
“We are in our most difficult time for the spread of COVID. Activities that seemed safe to you weeks ago are much less secure now,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Tuesday. “A lot of attention is now being paid to the vaccine, as it should be, but the job of ensuring a quick and orderly vaccination falls to a few of us in emergency care and health care. The job of maintaining safety and maintaining spread of COVID falls on all of you. “
COVID-19 VACCINE EFFORTS
In collaboration with the Department of Health’s health, Dallas County opened a large-scale vaccine center in Fair Park on Monday, where they planned to administer up to 2,000 vaccines a day for Phase 1A and 1B people. The vaccination center does not accept ambulances and you must have an appointment to get vaccinated. Sign up for an appointment at the link below. The county also plans to provide vaccines at two other locations in the county where they can administer an additional 1,000 vaccines a day.
Currently, the vaccine is only given to people who are part of Phases 1A and 1B, as indicated by the Texas 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 the age of 65 or those over the age of 16 with a chronic illness that puts them at risk for serious illness.
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.