Dallas County Reports Total of 989 New Positive 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases and 5 Deaths, Including 242 Probable Cases
Posted on 07/28/2021
City of Dallas

As of 2:00 pm July 28, 2021 Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 989 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dallas County, 747 confirmed cases and 242 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 270,155 confirmed cases (PCR test). There is a cumulative total of 45,206 probable cases (antigen test). A total of 4,191 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness.

Covid 19 Risklevel Extremecaution

High Risk Extremecaution

Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) provided over 497,000 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine at the Fair Park mega-vaccine clinic, which operated from January 11 through July 17. A pop-up vaccination clinic at Fair Park will take place on Saturday, July 31 from 8 am-2 pm in Lot 13 for Pfizer first and second doses.

The additional deaths being reported today include the following:

  • A woman in her teens 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.
  • A man in his 20's who was a resident of the City of Garland. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A woman in her 50's 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.
  • A man in his 50's who was a resident of the City of Sunnyvale. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A woman in her 60's 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.

To date, a total of 184 cases with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern have been identified in residents of Dallas County, including: 144 cases of B.1.1.7 (Alpha) variants; three B.1.351 (Beta) variants; twenty B.1.617.2 (Delta) variants; and seventeen P.1 (Gamma) variants. Twenty-one have been hospitalized and three have died. One fully vaccinated patient subsequently became ill from B.1.1.7 infection and died. The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 28 (week ending 7/17/21), was 307, which is a rate of 11.6 daily new cases per 100,000 residents.

As of the week ending 7/17/2021, about 58% of Dallas County residents age 12 years and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including 84% of residents age 65 years and older; 66% of residents between 40-64 years of age; 52% of residents 25-39 years of age; 42% of residents 18-24 years of age; and 30% of residents 12-17 years of age. In the cities of Coppell and Sunnyvale, greater than 87% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. In the cities of Addison and Highland Park, about 80% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine. (See below) About 79% of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Week 28 were Dallas County residents who were not fully vaccinated. In Dallas County, 1,716 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated individuals have been confirmed to date, of which 124 (7%) were hospitalized and 16 have died due to COVID-19. Of all Dallas County residents tested for COVID-19 by PCR during the week ending 7/17/21
(CDC week 28), 9.7% of respiratory specimens tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. For week 28, area hospital labs have continued to report elevated numbers and proportions of respiratory specimens that are positive for other respiratory viruses by molecular tests: parainfluenza (8.5%), rhinovirus/enterovirus (21%) and RSV (37%).

There are currently 20 active long-term care facility outbreaks. A cumulative total of 4,411 residents and 2,497 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 1,131 have been hospitalized and 813 have died. About 20% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities. There has been one outbreak of COVID-19 in a congregate-living facility (e.g. homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes) reported within the past 30 days. A cumulative total of 641 residents and 225 staff members in congregate-living facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with more detailed data dashboards and summary reports updated on Friday evenings, available at: https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/2019-novel-coronavirus/daily-updates.php.

Local health experts use hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and ER visits as three of the key indicators as part of determining the COVID-19 Risk Level (color-coded risk) and corresponding guidelines for activities during our COVID-19 response. The most recent COVID-19 hospitalization data for Dallas County, as reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council, can be found at www.dallascounty.org/covid-19 under “Monitoring Data,” and is updated regularly. This data includes information on the total available ICU beds, suspected and confirmed COVID-19 ER visits in the last 24 hours, confirmed COVID-19 inpatients, and COVID-19 deaths by actual date of death. The most recent forecasting from UTSW can be found here.

Covid 19 Actual DeathsCovid 19 ImpatientsCovid 19 ER VisitsCovid 19 ICU Beds

" Last week, UTSW models predicted that by August 9 we would have over 600 new cases in a single day. And today we report 989 cases with five additional deaths. The Delta variant is now the predominant strain in North Texas. It is highly contagious and causing great illness in people in their 20s, 30s and 40s. The Delta variant is a serious threat to anyone who is unvaccinated. Because North Texas is an area of high-spread, the CDC advises vaccinated individuals to wear masks in public indoor settings outside their own home. Now is the time for the unvaccinated to become vaccinated.

" Today I visited with a vaccinated friend whose relative had failed to be vaccinated and died this week and who had another relative who was hospitalized with COVID. Don't let this happen to your own family. Please help
your unvaccinated family members get the information they need to protect themselves with the vaccine. And please hurry and get all children over the age of 12 vaccinated before school starts back so that we can have the best experience for our students who have not had a normal school year in over a year and a half. We don't want to see their chance for a more normal school experience slip away because of parents choosing not to vaccinate their children. I ask that all people and businesses please work with the school districts to encourage mask wearing as our kids return to school and mask wearing in our businesses. We are stronger together and we all have a role to play. Together we can defeat COVID,"said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

All Dallas County COVID-19 Updates and Information can be found here: https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/ and all guidance documents can be found here: https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/guidance-health.php
Specific Guidance for the Public:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends taking everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:

  • Avoid close contact outside your home: Put 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don't live in your household.
  • Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others and continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.
  • Stay home when you are sick, except to seek medical care
  • Wash your hands often and with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and help young children to do the same. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
    Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces daily using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve, not your hands. Immediately wash your hands.
  • Monitor your health daily. Be alert for symptoms. Take your temperature and follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.

Additional information is available at the following websites: