Dallas County is reporting another 454 new COVID-19 cases along with three more deaths Monday, according to county officials.
The three latest victims to die after contracting the virus were from Dallas and Irving and included patients from their 30s to 60s.
- A Dallas man in his 30s who had underlying health conditions and was found dead a home.
- A Dallas man in his 40s who had been ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- An Irving man in his 60s who had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
The county has now accumulated 17,299 cases of the virus since testing began in March. There have been 317 deaths attributed in the county to the virus, which, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Philip Huang, is now the third leading cause of death in the county behind diseases of the heart and malignant neoplasm (cancer).
"Today we’ve seen the largest number of new COVID-19 cases ever reported in Dallas County, a 10% jump from our past highest day. Some of this could be because of increased testing. We know that we’re seeing many more cases out in the community based on the fact that our hospitalizations have jumped a whopping 54% since June 1," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. "As I’ve said before, think of hospitalizations like the tip of the iceberg you see above the water and know that for that tip to grow by 54% since the beginning of this month, the iceberg below it must have grown exponentially."
The 454 new cases reported Monday is the highest number of new COVID-19 cases ever reported in the county. It's also the 13th straight day where cases have been above 300 and second straight day over 400. The 7-day average for new cases is now 395 per day.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, an estimated 10,525 people (through Sunday) in the county have recovered from the virus leaving an estimated 6,457 known patients fighting the infection.
Instead of focusing on cases, however, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said that the real focus should be hospitalizations. Jenkins said last week the hospitals had well over 400 COVID-19 patients, up from the 250-300 COVID-19 patients seen in weeks prior. Updated numbers on hospitalizations over the weekend are expected on Tuesday.
Last week the Dallas County Commissioners Court mandated that all customers and employees wear face coverings while inside businesses inside Dallas County. If people refuse, the business could face a fine.
Jenkins is hopeful the mask policy will help curb the spread of the virus saying Friday that in the 15 states where they were mandated there were declines in infections. Jenkins added that in 31 other states where they were required in businesses only, like in Dallas County, there was also evidence it helped curb the spread of the virus.
To date, of cases requiring hospitalization who reported employment, over 80% have been critical infrastructure workers, with a broad range of affected occupational sectors, including healthcare, transportation, food and agriculture, public works, finance, communications, clergy, first responders and other essential functions.
Of cases requiring hospitalization, two-thirds have been under 65 years of age, and about half do not have high-risk chronic health conditions. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
The county has been reporting for several weeks now that more than a third of the deaths related to COVID-19 have been among residents of long-term care facilities.
