‘Deadliest Week' in Dallas County as 30 More COVID-19 Deaths Reported Friday

Dallas County is reporting 1,809 new COVID-19 cases Friday along with 30 more deaths related to the virus, making it the deadliest week in Dallas since the pandemic began.

"Last week was our deadliest week thus far with 138 deaths. Sadly, with the deaths we had today, we are already at 163 deaths for the week with one day to go," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. "We know January and February will be a dark winter for North Texas with COVID infections and deaths. The decisions we make today will have an impact on how fast our numbers will improve. There is a silver lining to the numbers today as Dallas County has dropped below 1,000 COVID hospitalizations for the first time since Jan. 1."

Of the cases reported Friday, the county said 1,494 were confirmed cases and 315 were probable (antigen test) cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county from March 2020 to 225,282 and the number of probable (antigen test) cases to 30,211. The total of confirmed and probable cases in the county is now 255,493. Over the last seven reporting days, Dallas County officials have announced 11,767 new confirmed and probable cases of the virus for an average of 1,681 per day.

In their daily report Friday, Dallas County officials said there were 1,007 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County through Thursday, Jan. 28. The number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 491 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 30 deaths added Friday, there have now been 2,159 deaths in the county attributed to the virus since March 2020. The latest victims announced Friday included people whose ages ranged from their 40s to their 90s.

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

COVID-19 VACCINE EFFORTS

In partnership with the state health department, Dallas County opened a large-scale vaccine hub at Fair Park in January 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 Friday the county has administered 28,425 doses of COVID-19 vaccine at the county's Fair Park vaccine hub since it opened on Jan. 11. Jenkins said the county was expecting to receive 9,000 more doses for the week beginning Feb. 1.

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.

COVID-19 Vaccines

In Texas, the COVID-19 vaccines are currently available to anyone over the age of 5. The vaccines are still not approved for children younger than 5 however -- those trials are ongoing.

Once vaccinated, people who received either the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines 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. For those who receive the Johnson & Johnson vaccine -- there is only one shot needed.

As of Jan. 3, 2022, it is also recommended those who are age 12 and up and who have been fully vaccinated receive a booster as early as five months after their last dose, for a total of three shots. The vaccine made by Pfizer and its partner BioNTech is the only U.S. option for children of any age.

As for even younger children, kid-size doses for 5- to 11-year-olds rolled out in November and experts said healthy youngsters should be protected after their second dose for a while. But the FDA also said on Jan. 3, 2022, that if children that young have severely weakened immune systems, they will be allowed a third dose 28 days after their second. That’s the same third-dose timing already recommended for immune-compromised teens and adults.

Pfizer and Moderna are studying their vaccines, in even smaller doses, for children younger than 5.

Even when fully vaccinated, it's still possible to become infected by the virus since none of the vaccines offer 100% protection from infection. With that in mind, even if you've been vaccinated it's still a good idea to wear a mask and keep some separation between strangers or those whose vaccination status is unclear.

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.