Record COVID-19 Hospitalizations in Dallas County Thursday as 2,590 New Cases, 20 Deaths Reported

For the third straight day, Dallas County is reporting a record number of COVID-19 hospitalizations Thursday while adding another 2,590 new confirmed and probable cases of the virus and 20 more deaths.

“Today we add 2,590 new COVID positive cases and 20 deaths to our count. One notable death today is a man in his 30’s who had been ill in an area hospital with COVID but had no underlying high-risk health conditions. This is a somber reminder that COVID can strike everyone and can cause grave illness and potentially death to anyone," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

Officials in the county said there were 1,166 COVID-19 patients in acute care in Dallas County through Wednesday, which is again a record, and that there were another 592 people with COVID-19 symptoms who visited county emergency rooms on the same day.

The increase in hospitalizations following the recent holiday weekends has county leaders concerned about further increases in cases and hospitalizations.

"With the high spread we’re seeing in the community, January and February will be our worst months for both hospitalizations and new COVID cases," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in a prepared statement earlier this week. "It is more important than ever that we follow the doctors’ advice to wear our masks, frequently wash our hands and avoid crowds and get-togethers. The smart decisions we make today will have an impact on the numbers in two weeks and keep our community and our country as strong as possible at this critical time."

Of the 2,590 cases reported Thursday, the county said 2,207 were confirmed cases and 383 were probable (antigen test) cases, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the county from March to 186,181 and the number of probable (antigen test) cases to 23,211. The total of confirmed and probable cases in the county is now at 209,392. Over the last seven days, Dallas County officials have reported 16,074 new confirmed and probable cases of the virus for an average of 2,296 per day.

County officials said Thursday there have been 1,735 deaths in the county attributed to the virus since March 2020. The 20 latest victims include people whose ages ranged from their 30s to their 80s and included two people who died in hospital emergency rooms.

• A man in his 30s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 40s who was a resident of the city of Mesquite. She died in an area hospital ED and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 40s 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 50s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 50s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the city of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 60s who was a resident of the city of Garland. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 60s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk conditions.
• A man in his 60s who was a resident of the city of Mesquite. He had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 60s who was a resident of the city of Balch Springs. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 60s 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 60s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk conditions.
• A woman in her 70s who was a resident of the city of Seagoville. She had been hospitalized 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 man in his 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in 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 Desoto. She 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 Farmers Branch. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 80s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. He died in an area hospital ED and had underlying high-risk conditions.
• A man in his 80s 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 80s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 80s who was a resident of the city of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.

Dallas County has begun taking registrations for those in Phase 1B to be vaccinated. They announced Thursday they planned to open a large-scale vaccine hub at Fair Park next week where they can administer up to 2,000 vaccines per day. 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.

We are working feverishly to get the sites open that will increase vaccination to our 1B population next week," said Jenkins. "It will be an effort led by Dallas County but with the help of EMTs from all of our cities."

The vaccines will be available by appointment only and will not be provided to walk-ups. To register to receive a vaccine, click on the link above. Jenkins said people will be notified of when to show up for a vaccine and that they'll be selected based on priority.

"At this current point for vaccinations, the key is to be both patient and diligent. Patient in understanding that there’s not enough vaccine to vaccinate everyone immediately but diligent in making sure you sign up for the registration list and any other list that you may be entitled to be a part of such as with your healthcare provider,” said Jenkins.

The vaccine is currently only being administered to those who are part of Phase 1A and 1B, as outlined by the Texas Department of State Health Services. Those in Phase 1A are front-line healthcare workers or residents of long-term care facilities. Phase 1B includes those who are over the age of 65, or those over the age of 16 with a chronic medical condition that puts them at risk for severe illness.

Once vaccinated, people 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. Even when fully vaccinated, it's still possible to become infected by the virus since the vaccine does not offer 100% protection.