For the sixth straight day, Dallas County is reporting more than 300 new COVID-19 cases along with another death.
Dallas County Health and Human Service confirmed 305 additional cases were added Monday, along with the death of a Dallas man in his 60s who had been critically ill in an area hospital but otherwise had no underlying high-risk health conditions.
The number of new cases added Monday is slightly lower than the county's seven-day average, which from Tuesday, June 9 through Monday, June 15, is 313 new COVID-19 cases per day.
There are now 14,537 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Dallas County with 285 deaths. According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, an estimated 8,847 people (through Sunday) in the county have recovered from the virus leaving an estimated 5,406 active cases in the county.
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"Today’s numbers fall in line for what we’ve seen for the last week or so. We don’t have back the hospitalization numbers for the weekend at the time of this release but would expect those back later in the afternoon," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.
"We have seen an increase in hospitalization cases in Dallas County, the 19 counties of North Texas, and the State of Texas," Jenkins said Monday. "Think of hospitalizations as that part of the iceberg that you can see that is above the water. Below the water are all the people who are sick but that are not yet in the hospital. The iceberg below the water is obviously far greater than the iceberg above it and a small increase in hospitalizations indicates a larger increase in illness. That’s why that number is so important."
DCHHS said local health experts use hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and ER visits as three of the key indicators in determining the COVID-19 Risk Level (color-coded risk seen below) and corresponding guidelines for activities during our COVID-19 response.
DCHHS said Monday that due to weekend reporting, new data on those three metrics will be available on Tuesday.
"Please avoid crowds, maintain six-foot distancing when out, wear a cloth face covering, and use strong hygiene. It’s up to all of us to flatten the curve. There are many other important matters in your life and in the world right now, but we must keep our health and the health of our community at the top of our minds as we address those other important matters. The best way to keep you and your family safe is 'Stay Home, Save Lives,'" said Jenkins.
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.
