37 COVID-19 Deaths Reported in Dallas County Thursday; 1,637 New Cases Added

Dallas County is reporting 1,637 new COVID-19 cases Thursday along with 37 more deaths related to the virus, the second-highest day on record for deaths.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Wednesday, when the county posted a record 40 deaths, that the rise in fatalities is attributed to the increase in cases since the holidays and that, "increased deaths always follow increased infections."

Of the cases reported Thursday, the county said 1,379 were confirmed cases and 258 were probable (antigen test) cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county from March 2020 to 223,788 and the number of probable (antigen test) cases to 29,896. The total of confirmed and probable cases in the county is now 253,684. Over the last seven reporting days, Dallas County officials have announced 12,023 new confirmed and probable cases of the virus for an average of 1,718 per day.

In their daily report Thursday, Dallas County officials said there were 1,091 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County through Wednesday, Jan. 27. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 478 for the same time period.

County officials said while they have noticed a slight decrease in the numbers, forecasting for Dallas County actually predict potential increases in hospitalizations. Updated UTSW modeling predicts hospitalization could reach 1,600 by Feb. 5, with cases remaining high at 2,700 per day by the same date. ICU capacity remains heavily strained and hospitals are still operating under surge planning.

With the 37 deaths added Thursday, there have now been 2,129 deaths in the county attributed to the virus since March 2020. The latest victims announced Thursday included people whose ages ranged from their 40s to their 90s.

• A woman in her 40s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 40s who was a resident of the City of Irving. He died in hospice and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 50s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 50s who was a resident of the City of Duncanville. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 50s who was a resident of the City of Irving. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 50s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 60s 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.
• A woman in her 60s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She was found deceased in her home and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been 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 had been 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 Duncanville. He had been 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 Farmers Branch. He died in an area hospital.
• A man in his 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been 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 had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Mesquite. He died in an area hospital ED and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Irving. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 70s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 70s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He died in hospice and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 70s 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 70s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Garland. She died in the facility.
• A woman in her 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Mesquite. She had been 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 Desoto. He had been 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 had been 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 Irving. She had been 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 died in hospice and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 80s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 80s who was a resident of the City of Grand Prairie. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 80s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Dallas. She died in hospice and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 80s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He died in a facility and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 80s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Mesquite. She died in the facility and underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 80s who was a resident of the City of Irving. He had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 90s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Dallas. She died in the facility.
• A man in his 90s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Richardson. He died in a facility.
• A man in his 90s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 90s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Desoto. She had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 90s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Dallas. She died in the facility.

COVID-19 VACCINE EFFORTS

In partnership with the state health department, Dallas County opened a large-scale vaccine hub at Fair Park earlier this month where they planned to administer up to 2,000 vaccines per day for those in Phase 1A and 1B. The vaccination center does not accept walk-ups and you must have an appointment to get vaccinated. Register for an appointment at the link below. The county is also planning on providing vaccines at two other locations in the county where they can administer an additional 1,000 vaccines per day.

Jenkins said Thursday the county has administered 26,598 doses of COVID-19 vaccine at the county's Fair Park vaccine hub since it opened on Jan. 11. With the additional allotment from the State of Texas for Week 7, there are fewer than 2,000 doses remaining for the week.

The judge reiterated that those who have received their first shot of the vaccine do not need to make an appointment for their second dose -- the date of the second appointment, he said, is on the back of the vaccination card received when the first dose was administered.

Jenkins said last week that he hoped President Joe Biden's plan to administer 100 million shots in his first 100 days improves the allotments being sent to Texas which would allow more people to be vaccinated more quickly. Biden, on Monday, bumped that goal up to 150 million shots in his first 100 days.

The vaccine is currently only being administered to those who are part of Phase 1A and 1B, as outlined by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Those in Phase 1A are front-line healthcare workers or residents of long-term care facilities. Phase 1B includes those who are over the age of 65, or those over the age of 16 with a chronic medical condition that puts them at risk for severe 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's still possible to become infected by the virus since the vaccine does not offer 100% protection.

Want to Get on a Vaccine Waitlist?

County health departments have launched waitlists for adults 16 years old and over.

You can register to recieve the vaccination in Collin, Dallas, Denton and Tarrant counties. Links are below:

Waitlist Links: Collin - Search Waitlist | Dallas | Denton | Tarrant

You do not need to be a resident of the county 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 taking registrations 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.

For a more detailed breakdown of who is included in each priority group in Texas, see this page from the Texas DSHS.

Texas COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution

Data from the Texas Department of State Health Services shows where COVID-19 vaccines have been sent around the state. Click on a marker to find out information about each location. Use the "plus" and "minus" signs below to zoom in and out of the map.

From the Texas DSHS: Availability of COVID-19 vaccines lilsted on this map are based on shipping information and reporting to the DSHS directly by facilities. Please contact providers in advance to confirm vaccination location and hours, that they have vaccine on hand and that you are eligible for vaccination at that site. Not all providers are vaccinating the public or people in all priority groups. Vaccine is available at no charge, regardless of insurance status.