Dallas County Reports 90 New Positive 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases 1
Posted on 05/21/2021
City of Dallas

As of 12:00 pm, May 20, 2021, Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 90 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dallas County, 71 confirmed cases, and 19 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 259,892 confirmed cases (PCR test). There is a cumulative total of 42,348 probable cases (antigen test). A total of 4,009 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness.

Covid 19 Risklevel Extremecaution

Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) is providing initial vaccinations to those most at risk of exposure to COVID-19 and over 473,000 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered at the Fair Park mega-vaccine clinic, which started operations on Monday, January 11. Vaccine operations for both first and second doses at Fair Park will resume on Saturday

The additional deaths being reported today include the following:

  • A man in his 50's 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 60's who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He expired at home and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A woman in her 60's who was a resident of the City of Wilmer. She was found deceased at home and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A man in his 70's was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of DeSoto. He expired in a facility and had underlying high-risk health conditions.

To date, a total of 87 cases with SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern have been identified in residents of Dallas County, including 69 cases of variant B.1.1.7; seven B.1.429 variants; two B.1.526 variants; six P.1 variants; one P.2 variant, and two B.1.617.2 cases. Five have been hospitalized with 3 requiring intensive care unit admission, and one has died. Eight had a history of recent domestic travel outside of Texas. One case of B.1.1.7 is a likely instance of reinfection with COVID-19, occurring over 6 months after an initial PCR-confirmed infection. The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 18 was 186, which is a rate of 7.1 daily new cases per 100,000 residents. Over the past 2 weeks, rates of new COVID-19 diagnoses in Cedar Hill, Coppell, and Seagoville have been more than 50% higher than county-wide case rates. Rates of new COVID-19 diagnoses in Balch Springs, DeSoto, Mesquite, and Rowlett have been 30% higher than county-wide case rates. Of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals in week 18 (week ending 5/8/21), 7.9% of respiratory specimens tested positive SARS-CoV-2.

During the past 30 days, there were 1,106 COVID-19 cases in school-aged children and staff reported from 417 separate K-12 schools in Dallas County. During the months of April and May, 20% of all COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Dallas County were in children under the age of 18 years-the highest proportion in this age group since the beginning of the pandemic. To date, 67 children have been hospitalized with diagnoses of multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS-C), a rare but serious complication associated with COVID-19 infection. In Dallas County, 506 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated individuals have been confirmed to date, of which 82 were hospitalized, and 8 have died.

There are currently 29 active long-term care facility outbreaks. A cumulative total of 4,380 residents and 2,471 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 1,101 have been hospitalized and 786 have died. About 20% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities. Ten outbreaks of COVID-19 in congregate-living facilities (e.g. homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes) have been reported in the past 30 days. A cumulative total of 621 residents and 223 staff members in congregate-living facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

Of all confirmed cases requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds have been under 65 years of age. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with more detailed summary reports updated Tuesday and 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

"Today we report 90 new cases of COVID-19 and four additional deaths. With the mask mandates lifted at local government buildings, and soon public schools, it's important that we all consider not what is legally permissible but what is safe according to doctors and the CDC. Once you are fully vaccinated, you need not wear a mask although you are not prohibited from doing so. If you are not fully vaccinated, meaning it has not been two weeks since your last dose of vaccine, the CDC strongly recommends that you wear a mask to protect yourself and others in indoor settings except for in your own home. In following health guidelines, we not only protect ourselves and others, but we show a spirit of community and concern for our fellow man.

"Vaccine is available every day in many locations near you. Most sites that offer the vaccine are not open seven days a week but there is always a site open each day. There's ample amounts of all three currently approved vaccines: Moderna or Pfizer (two-shot vaccine) and the Johnson and Johnson (one and done) vaccine. If you have not yet been vaccinated, think about what you are waiting for. Over 180 million Americans have received the vaccine and it has proven to be safe and effective. Conversely, nearly 600 thousand Americans have died from COVID and millions have been hospitalized or made gravely ill.

"We don't know what the future ramifications of COVID are but there are indications that it can have a negative effect on our health in the future. There are no such indications with the vaccine. Just as you would do if your
family faced another serious health challenge, such as a condition requiring an operation, we all are better served when we listen to the medial advice of the experts who have trained their entire adults lives to advise in this moment. Those experts for this health challenge uniformly tell us to get vaccinated as soon as possible. There are voices against vaccination but they are not medical experts, nor are they trained or medically qualified to advise in the fields of infectious disease, epidemiology, or public health. Just as we would if we required an operation, we would value the opinions of our acquaintances and family, but if we want to have a good health outcome, we would follow the advice of our doctor in accepting life-saving treatment.

"The faster we reach herd immunity, the better for everyone in less sickness and death, more freedom for all, and a stronger economy. If you have been fully vaccinated, I hope you'll think of some things that you've missed and get out and do them," 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: