Officials in Dallas County reported Sunday more than 300 new cases of COVID-19 for the fifth straight day, in addition to the county's 284th coronavirus-related death.
The person who died was a Dallas man in his 50s who had been critically ill at an area hospital and had underlying health conditions, officials said.
The 302 new cases of the novel coronavirus reported Sunday raise the countywide total to 14,232, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services.
While Sunday's number of new cases was the lowest since Wednesday, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins cautioned that Sunday and Monday case counts were frequently lower than other days of the week.
"Yesterday, we ended the week with an average of 300 cases per day, our highest average ever, the highest average for COVID-19 hospitalizations, and we saw our second lowest week in deaths last week since early April with 21 deaths," Jenkins said. "I know that there are many other important things happening in the world right now and many things that are at the top of our minds but our health and the health of our community must stay at the top as well."
Jenkins also reported that announced that two new testing sites through a Walmart partnership will open this week.
A testing center will open on 915 North Town East Blvd in Mesquite starting June 16. It will be open Tuesday through Thursday.
A drive-through testing location will open at 2650 SH 161 in Grand Prairie. It will be open Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
Of county cases requiring hospitalization among patients who reported employment, more than 80% work in critical infrastructure.
Adjusted for age, rates of COVID-19 in non-hospitalized patients have been highest among the Hispanic population — 667.4 cases per 100,000 people, and 60% of overall COVID-19 cases to date, according to the county.
The Asian population accounted for 187.4 per 100,000 cases, Black residents for 136.4 per 100,000 and white residents for 43.8 per 100,000.
