Dallas County Reports a Total of 2,422 New Positive 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) Cases and 19 Deaths, Including 376 Probable Cases
Posted on 01/05/2022
CityofDallas

As of 12:00 pm January 04, 2022 Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 2,422 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in Dallas County, 2,046 confirmed cases and 376 probable cases. There is a cumulative total of 368,515 confirmed cases (PCR test). There is a cumulative total of 69,060 probable cases (antigen test). A total of 5,565 Dallas County residents have lost their lives due to COVID-19 illness. Today's reporting is of COVID-19 data received on Friday, December 31st. Tomorrow's reporting will include data from Saturday, January 1st through Tuesday, January 4th.

Covid -19 Risklevel

Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) provided more than 500,000 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine at the Fair Park mega-vaccine clinic, which operated from January 11 through July 17. A vaccination clinic is open at the Dallas College Eastfield Campus Location on Tuesdays - Saturdays from 9 am-6 pm. A weekly pop-up vaccination clinic will take place at Fair Park on Sundays, from 10 am - 4 pm, starting November 21st, 2021.

The additional deaths being reported today include the following:

  • A woman in her 40'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 40'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 40's 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 40's who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She expired in an area hospital ED and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A woman in her 40's who was a resident of the City of Garland. 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 Irving. He expired in hospice and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A man in his 50's who was a resident of the City of Garland. He expired in an area hospital ED and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • 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 Garland. 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.
  • A woman in her 60's who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She expired in hospice and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A man in his 60's who was a resident of the City of Irving. He expired at home and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A man in his 60's who was a resident of the City of Richardson. He expired in hospice and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A man in his 60's who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He was found deceased and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A woman in her 60's who was a resident of the City of Garland. She expired in an area hospital ED and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A man in his 60's who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Lancaster. He expired in the facility and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A man in his 70's who was a resident of the City of Irving. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A man in his 70's who was a resident of the City of Cedar Hill. He expired in hospice and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
  • A man in his 80's who was a resident of the City of Garland. He had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.

To date, a total of 723 cases with SARS-CoV-2 variants have been identified and investigated in residents of Dallas County, including 151 cases of B.1.1.7 (Alpha); 4 cases of B.1.351 (Beta); 509 cases of B.1.617.2 (Delta); 11 cases of B.1.427 (Epsilon); 19 cases of P.1 (Gamma); 9 cases of B.1.526 (Iota); 4 cases of C.37 (Lambda); 1 case of B.1.621 (Mu); 14 cases of B.1.1.529 (Omicron); and 1 case of P.2 (Zeta). One hundred and fifty-seven cases have been hospitalized and 16 have died. Fifteen COVID-19 variant cases were reinfections. One hundred and eighty-four people were considered fully vaccinated before infection with a COVID-19 variant. As of 12/31/2021, a total of 9,042 confirmed and probable cases were reported in CDC week 51 (week ending 12/25/21), which is a weekly rate of 343.0 new cases per 100,000 residents.

As of the week ending 12/18/2021, about 77% of Dallas County residents age 12 years and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including 96% of residents age 65 years and older; 83% of residents between 40-64 years of age; 73% of residents 25-39 years of age; 62% of residents 18-24 years of age; and 57% of residents 12-17 years of age. In the cities of Addison, Coppell, Highland Park, Irving, and Sunnyvale, greater than 90% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In the cities of Desoto, Farmers Branch, Garland, and University Park, greater than 80% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (See below)

About 68.0% of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Week 50 were Dallas County residents who were not fully vaccinated. In Dallas County, 21,890 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated inpiduals have been confirmed to date, of which 779 (3.6%) were hospitalized and 208 have died due to COVID-19.

Of all Dallas County residents tested for COVID-19 by PCR during the week ending 12/25/2021 (CDC week 51), 24.3% of respiratory specimens tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. For week 51, 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 (5.48%), rhinovirus/enterovirus (26.85%), and RSV (5.31%).

There are currently 39 active long-term care facility outbreaks. A cumulative total of 4,974 residents and 2,961 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 1,203 have been hospitalized and 857 have died. About 16% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities.

There have been 6 outbreaks 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 767 residents and 263 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.

Actual DeathCovid -19 Aduit ICU PatientsCovid -19 VisitsICU Beds

Find a COVID-19 Vaccine Near You

"Today we have 2,422 lab tested COVID cases and 19 deaths. It is increasingly important that you keep in mind that none of the home tests are included in these numbers. With home tests becoming more and more frequent, these numbers will be significantly lower than the true picture in our county. We've seen a near doubling of COVID-19 hospitalization for each of the last two weeks in Dallas County hospitals. In response to this growing epidemic our team worked over the Christmas holidays to stand up more mega testing sites. Today, Amelia court clinic at Parkland open for drive-through appointment, only testing and tomorrow at noon Ellis Davis fieldhouse near highway 20 in south Dallas will open for drive-through testing and could be able to accomplish about 2000 tests a day, with appointments being preferred. Thursday, Samuel Grande aquatic center will open for appointment, only testing drive-through testing. We already had test sites at Richland college and at Mountain view college and are working on opening a large test site at Fair Park the week after next. We will continue to add resources and sites for testing. For the fastest service, it's good to get an appointment at the site you choose. The appointment links can be found here: https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/testing-locations.php. With an unprecedented amount of Americans getting sick from COVID every day now and with the Omicron variant being able to defeat a cloth mask, and in fact, people who have been vaccinated and boosted (although with comparatively mild or symptoms), it's imperative that we wear a surgical, KN95, or N95 mask whenever we are around people outside our home in indoor settings, out around people, outside our home or at outdoor settings where spacing cannot be accomplished. These next few weeks during this Omicron surge is the time to think about avoiding crowds and using online, curbside, remote work, and other tools to keep you and your family safe.," 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: