Health officials in Dallas County on Tuesday reported three more coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the number of people in the county who have died after testing positive for COVID-19 to 1,000.
The deaths reported Tuesday included a Dallas woman in her 50s, a Garland man in his 70s and a Grand Prairie man in his 80s. All three had been critically ill at area hospitals and had underlying health conditions, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services.
"Please pause today with me for a moment of reflection and prayer for the 1,000 families who lost a loved one over that six month period and the thousands more who suffer with symptoms and recovery from COVID-19, as well as the emotional and financial turmoil brought to our community," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement.
The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Dallas County reached 1,000 on the same day the U.S. death toll eclipsed 200,000 and the number of dead in Texas approached 15,000.
"But our success is up to each and every one of you putting the public good over selfish desires to take part in the few activities that doctors tell us are not yet safe to participate in."
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins
Jenkins said if the death rate Dallas County has experienced since March were extrapolated over 365 days, the death toll would double.
He urged residents to take personal responsibility, adding "whether or not that occurs is largely up to you"
"But our success is up to each and every one of you putting the public good over selfish desires to take part in the few activities that doctors tell us are not yet safe to participate in," Jenkins said.
DCHHS also reported 172 additional cases of COVID-19, two of which were from prior months. The county also added one probable case.
The county has now accumulated 78,377 cases of the virus since testing began in March. With 71,198 estimated recoveries being reported by the state through Tuesday, there are roughly 6,179 active cases in Dallas County.
The virus is now the third leading cause of death in the county behind diseases of the heart and cancers, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Philip Huang. Since March 20, the date of the first reported COVID-19 related death in Dallas County, the county has averaged 5.7 deaths per day.
Last week, Jenkins noted a provisional total of 179 confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 in school-aged children during CDC Week 37, an increase from the previous week for this age group. He said the percentage of cases occurring in young adults aged 18-22 increased to 14% over the last two weeks.
*Map locations are approximate, central locations for the city and are not meant to indicate where actual infected people live.
