Dallas County Reports 234 New COVID-19 Cases, Nine More Deaths

As COVID-19 cases continue a downward trend, and state and local officials continue to monitor the state of the COVID-19 pandemic, there’s a lot of information to keep up with. Here are today’s bullet points:

• Dallas County reports 234 new COVID-19 cases, nine more deaths;
• New text message alerts launch for Dallas residents;
• Nine Medical City Healthcare hospitals honored for outstanding women’s care. 

Dallas County Reports 234 New COVID-19 Cases, Nine More Deaths

Dallas County health officials Wednesday reported 234 additional confirmed cases of COVID-19, bringing the total confirmed case count in Dallas County to 55,787, as well as an additional nine deaths.

An additional 88 probable cases of COVID-19 have been reported since Tuesday, bringing the total probable case count in Dallas to 2,360, including seven probable deaths from COVID-19. 

The additional deaths reported Wednesday include a Garland man in his 30s, two Dallas men in their 50s who didn’t have underlying conditions, a Dallas woman in her 60s, a DeSoto woman in her 70s, a Dallas man in his 70s, an Irving woman in her 70s, and a Duncanville man in his 70s. Additionally, a Dallas woman in her 70s who didn’t have underlying conditions was found dead at her home.

Of the 794 confirmed deaths reported to date, about 27% have been associated with long-term care facilities.

Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. 

More than 2,833 children under 18 years of age have been diagnosed with confirmed COVID-19 since July 1, including 65 children who have been hospitalized for COVID-19. Of all confirmed cases requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds have been under 65 years of age.  

“Today we are reporting 234 new COVID-19 positive cases, our lowest daily total since August 6. We also are reporting nine deaths, including two men in their 50’s who did not have underlying high risk health conditions. The trends that we’re seeing are good and they’re due to your smart and sacrificial decisions to wear masks around others outside your home one hundred percent of the time, maintain six foot distancing from people outside your home, use frequent hand washing, and avoid unnecessary trips around other people and any activity where a mask cannot be worn by everyone one hundred percent of the time,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said Wednesday. “We’ve seen a roughly 40% decrease in demand for testing at our city/county run sites and we are currently not reaching capacity at those sites. The lines are short and the turnaround times have improved, so if you need testing, please get it. It’s up to all of us to flatten the curve, and the good trends that we’re seeing can quickly change if only a few of us decide to do things that are not recommended by the doctors.”  

The percentage of respiratory specimens testing positive for the virus that causes COVID-19 remains high, the county noted, with about 15.9% of symptomatic patients presenting to area hospitals testing positive in week 30. 

Dallas County health officials reported 494 COVID-19 patients in hospitals Tuesday. Additionally, the number of emergency room visits for COVID-19 like symptoms in Dallas County was 502 in the 24 hour period ending Tuesday, which represents around 22% of all emergency department visits in the county according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.  

“While COVID-19 hospitalizations are down near levels last seen in late June, the trajectory of decline is much slower than the trajectory of the July to August increase. As confirmed cases increase, hospitalizations can and will increase more rapidly,” the county noted.

New Text Message Alerts Launch for Dallas Residents

The city of Dallas Office of Communications, Outreach and Marketing this week announced the launch of a new text message alert system that allows the community to receive news updates directly to their mobile phones.

The text alert system, which is being administered through GovDelivery, will be a way for the city to provide important information for a variety of situations including city facility closures, event cancellations, and important updates regarding the city’s response to COVID-19.

To subscribe, residents can text DALLAS NEWSENG (or DALLAS NOTICIAS for Spanish speaking subscribers) to 468311. The service is free, but standard text messaging and data rates may apply.

 “By providing residents updates via text, the City of Dallas is helping to close the digital divide and more equitably serving as a trusted primary source of timely information in English and Spanish,” said Dallas Director of Communications Catherine Cuellar.

The new text message alerts will be used for non-emergency purposes. For emergency notifications, residents should opt into Dallas Alerts to receive notifications such as severe flooding, chemical emergencies and other potential public safety risks.

Nine Medical City Healthcare Hospitals Honored for Outstanding Women’s Care

Nine Medical City Healthcare hospitals have been recognized for superior women’s services in the 2020 Women’s Care Awards by Healthgrades, an online resource that connects consumers, physicians, and health systems. 

Medical City Alliance, Medical City Arlington, Medical City Dallas, Medical City Las Colinas, Medical City Lewisville, Medical City McKinney, Medical City North Hills, Medical City Plano, and Medical City Weatherford are among a group of top hospitals nationally that were assessed and validated for providing outstanding quality outcomes.

 The awards recognize exceptional performance by hospitals in women’s services, including obstetrics and gynecology, labor and delivery, and gynecologic surgery.

“These awards recognize our system’s dedication to excellence always when it comes to quality, patient-centered and compassionate care,” said Erol Akdamar, FACHE, president of Medical City Healthcare. “They are among the many reasons why Medical City Healthcare hospitals are the destination of choice for women’s care in North Texas.”

Medical City Arlington and Medical City Dallas each have dedicated women’s hospitals. The system also offers a comprehensive Fetal Care Center at Medical City Children’s Hospital, providing the region’s highest level of prenatal diagnosis and the full spectrum of fetal surgical procedures for unborn babies with complex and life-threatening birth defects. 

“Hospital quality should be top of mind for consumers when they evaluate and compare hospital performance,” said Dr. Brad Bowman, Chief Medical Officer, Healthgrades. “Women who select a hospital with a 5-star rating can feel confident in their choice knowing that these organizations are committed to providing exceptional women’s care to their patients.”

To learn more about Medical City Healthcare amenities and childbirth options, visit WeDeliverDreams.com.