As Dallas County closes in on 2,000 COVID-19 infections, a woman in her 80s is the latest victim and the county's 43rd confirmed death related to the virus.
The Dallas County Health and Human Services Department confirmed the death Wednesday, adding that the woman was a resident of Garland and had been hospitalized for the virus but did not have any underlying health conditions.
No further information about the woman is expected to be released.
The county also confirmed an additional 109 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total number of cases to 1,986.
"This is a critical time for all of us to keep following the Safer At Home orders. If we do that, we will have enough hospital beds and ventilators and we will get this over with sooner rather than later," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
Jenkins, in a statement Wednesday, said he was told Tuesday by UTSW epidemilogist Dr. Robert Haley that had the county's Safer at Home order been issued a week later, North Texas might have been in a far worse position, one possibly more like New York where thousands of people have died after contracting the virus.
In Dallas County, of cases requiring hospitalization, 69% have been either over 60 years of age or have had at least one known high-risk chronic health condition. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in 30% of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19; 69% of the COVID-19 deaths in Dallas County have been male while 14 have been associated with long-term care facilities.
Dallas County health officials did not release information Wednesday on where the new cases are located -- that information will be released Friday in their bi-weekly aggregate report.
Dallas County has not been releasing statistics on the number of recoveries in the county.
In Tarrant County Wednesday, health officials confirmed another 53 cases of COVID-19, bringing the county's total number of infections to 929, and a 30th death.
*Map locations are approximate, central locations for the city and are not meant to indicate where actual infected people live.
