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COVID-19 updates: Dallas County reports more than 800 cases for second time this week

Tarrant County health officials are also reporting at least 500 additional COVID-19 cases for the first time this week.
Credit: Joel Angel Juarez for The Texas Tribune
Medical workers wearing personal protective equipment test for COVID-19 at a testing site at Memorial Park Aquatic Facility in El Paso on July, 16, 2020. In recent weeks, the average number of tests administered in Texas has fallen by more than 40%.

DALLAS — The story will be updated throughout the day as new information is released.

Dallas County is reporting 885 additional confirmed cases Friday, along with nine more deaths.

This is the second time this week county health officials have added more than 800 cases. Dallas County reported 843 cases on Sunday.

This brings the total confirmed case count to 57,313 and total deaths to 816 since tracking began in March.

County health officials say more than 2,925 children under the age of 18 have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since July 1. There have been 66 children hospitalized for COVID-19.

The nine deaths included a Garland woman in her 50s, Dallas man in his 60s, Dallas woman in her 70s, Desoto man in his 60s, Duncanville woman in her 30s, Duncanville woman in her 60s and Seagoville woman in her 40s.

There was also a man in his 70s in a Cedar Hill long-term care facility and woman in her 80s in a Dallas long-term care facility.

All had underlying high-risk health conditions, except the Dallas man in his 60s and the woman in her 80s in the Dallas long-term care facility.

Collin County reports 1,175 new cases, 4 new deaths due to backlog of cases, local officials say

Updated to add context from state health officials.

Collin County reported more than 1,000 cases Friday, but local officials say that's because of a "very large backlog of cases" that would show up on the data.

There were four additional deaths reported.

"The Department of State Health Services (DSHS) updated their database, resulting in the release of a very large backlog of cases that should show up on today’s dashboard in Collin County," county officials said in a statement. 

While county officials said the state system would go offline for maintenance, state officials said that work was completed two weeks ago.

State officials said two different labs had coding issues, which have been resolved, so large numbers of cases are coming through. 

State officials said it was unknown how many of the backlogged cases are old vs. new. Collin County officials said they had begun to sort through case reports to properly align dates.

Tarrant County reports 500 additional cases

Tarrant County is reporting 500 new cases of COVID-19 along with four additional deaths.

The deaths include a Fort Worth man in his 90s, Fort Worth man in his 70s, Fort Worth woman in her 60s and Arlington man in his 80s. All had underlying health conditions.

The county has now had 33,874 confirmed cases and 446 deaths since tracking began in March. There are currently 1,755 probable cases.

Denton County reports 137 new COVID-19 cases, 2 new deaths

There are 137 new confirmed cases and two additional deaths in Denton County, officials said Friday.

That's an increase compared to Thursday when there were 118 new cases reported.

The deaths reported Friday include:

  • A male over 80 who was a resident of Eagle Ridge Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Denton
  • A male in his 70s who was a resident of Eagle Ridge Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in Denton

The county now has 8,214 confirmed cases since tracking began in March.

Two school districts report on-campus staff members have tested positive for COVID-19

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD and Granbury ISD have both announced that staff members have the COVID-19 virus.

Three teachers from Child Development Academy tested positive for the virus while one staff member from Granbury Middle School has as well.

District leaders from Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD said their three teachers have been asked to self-quarantine for 14 days.

RELATED: 4 on-campus staff members in North Texas school districts test positive for COVID-19

Children's hospitals report COVID-19 cases

On Friday, Cook Children's in Fort Worth and Children's Health in Dallas reported COVID-19 numbers.

Children's Health says 14 patients have tested positive for COVID-19.

Cook Children's says there are currently seven COVID-19 patients in the hospital. Their positivity rate is 7%.

Health experts recommend taking the following actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19:

  • Wear a face covering.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Practice "social distancing" and stay at least 6 feet away from others and avoid large public gatherings
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
  • If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
  • Consult CDC’s travel website for any travel advisories and steps to protect yourself if you plan to travel outside of the U.S.

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