x
Breaking News
More () »

COVID-19 updates: Cases trending down, and deaths remain 'stubbornly high,' says Dallas County judge

Dallas County health officials reported that 31 more residents lost their lives to COVID-19, bringing the countywide total to 3,180 confirmed deaths.

DALLAS — Dallas County health officials reported that 31 more residents lost their lives to COVID-19, bringing the countywide total to 3,180 confirmed deaths since tracking began in March 2020.

The additional deaths include both men and women who ranged in age from 50 to over 90, health officials said.

Health officials also reported 265 more cases of COVID-19, 14 of which are considered probable from antigen tests.

Currently, nine residents have been identified as being infected with the variant which was first identified in the U.K., health officials said. One was hospitalized and five had a history of recent domestic travel outside of Texas. 

Twenty-five hospitals on Monday reported ventilator and bed capacity numbers to Mayor Eric Johnson's office: 

  • Total beds: 5,993
    • Beds occupied: 4,386
  • Total ICU beds: 935
    • ICU beds occupied: 640
  • Total ventilators: 1,074
    • Ventilators in use: 386 

“Although the numbers of new cases are trending down, the deaths remain stubbornly high and I’m hopeful that they will go down soon, which they should base on the number of new cases that we’re seeing,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a news release Tuesday.

“Remember death is a trailing indicator and a lot of deaths we’re experiencing now are people who became sick when case counts were very high.”

Vaccinations continue daily across the county, and Jenkins continues to encourage the community to register to help move the county closer to herd immunity.

Dallas County Health and Human Services said over 132,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered at the Fair Park mega vaccine site.

As the mask mandate is set to end tomorrow, Jenkins said “it is important for all of us to continue doing the things that have been proven to be successful in curving the spread of COVID-19. Chief among those is to continue wearing your mask when you are around people outside of your home, wash your hands frequently, avoid crowds, maintain distance and forego get-togethers at least for now.”

For a daily roundup of the latest news from around North Texas and beyond, sign up for the WFAA email newsletter.

Tarrant County reports 7 deaths 

Tarrant County Public Health announced seven more residents died from COVID-19, including a Richland Hills man in his 30s. Officials said all but one person had underlying health conditions.

Health officials also reported 244 cases of COVID-19 Wednesday. This brings the countywide total to 245,629 cases, including 3,028 confirmed deaths since tracking began in March 2020.

There are currently 342 people hospitalized with COVID-19 in Tarrant County hospitals, according to local officials.

Health officials said at least 232,733 people have recovered from COVID-19.

Credit: Jay Wallis

Collin County has 193 hospitalizations for second straight day

Collin County currently has 193 COVID-19 hospitalizations as of Tuesday. This is the same as there were on Monday. 

This is the lowest the county's hospitalizations have been since Nov. 8 when there were 176 patients.  

Health officials say COVID-19 patients make 7% of Collin County's total hospital bed capacity. 

There were also 95 new COVID-19 cases in Collin County Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. This is down from 134 on Monday.

Collin County is averaging 77 new COVID-19 cases in the past seven days.

Credit: Jay Wallis

Denton County has 15 available ICU beds

Denton County Public Health said there are currently 15 ICU beds available in the county's hospitals. There were 16 on Monday.

From Jan. 22 to Feb. 28, this number remained below 10.

Health officials also announced 460 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday, down from 620 on Monday. There have now been 68,236 cases since tracking began in March. 

Of the occupied ICU beds, COVID-19 patients make up 29% of them.

There were six new reported COVID-19 deaths Monday, according to county officials. These include:

  • A Denton man in his 70s
  • A Flower Mound man in his 70s
  • A Flower Mound woman older than 80
  • A Flower Mound woman older than 80
  • A Northlake man older than 80
  • A Justin man in his 70s

Denton County Public Health said there are currently 62 people hospitalized with COVID-19. This number has remained below 100 since March 2.

Credit: Jay Wallis

Trinity Metro to offer free rides for vaccines in Arlington

Trinity Metro announced it will provide free rides to Arlington vaccination sites. The free ride service will run between Fort Worth Central Station and two locations: Globe Life Field and Esports Stadium Arlington, which operate from 9 a.m to 5 p.m.

Officials said passengers need to show proof of appointment to obtain the free ride. Click here to view a full list of bus routes.

The first bus route would depart at 7:35 a.m. from Fort Worth Central Station arriving at ETC at 7:45 a.m. and 8:15 at the Esports Stadium. The last bus would leave the Esports Stadium at 5:20 p.m. Trinity Metro said the schedule could change, based on each week’s vaccination site schedule.

Trinity Metro also provides free ride services to the Tarrant County Resource Connection vaccination site. Click here for more details. 

Before You Leave, Check This Out