Dallas County Reports 1,149 New COVID Cases and 35 Deaths

As the vaccine rollout continues and officials continue to monitor the spread of COVID-19, here’s what you need to know today:

• Dallas County reports 1,149 new COVID cases and 35 deaths;
• Johnson & Johnson submitted single-dose COVID-19 vaccine candidate to the FDA for emergency use authorization;
• Dallas County health officials announced the opening of a call center to help the community register for the COVID vaccine;
• SMU professor among three appointed to Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Dallas County Reports 1,149 New COVID Cases and 35 Deaths

Dallas County Thursday reported 1,149 more COVID-19 cases–789 confirmed and 360 probable–and 35 additional deaths.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the county’s reported a cumulative total of 232,200 cases, 31,687 probable cases, and 2,355 deaths.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins advised residents to limit large gatherings on the upcoming Super Bowl Sunday.

“Those who can do their shopping curbside, online, or through delivery should take advantage of that and doctors advise that we should all watch the Super Bowl this weekend with people that we live with and not at Super Bowl parties,” Jenkins said.

There were an additional 35 deaths reported on Thursday, which is seven deaths short of the weekly record number reported last week in Dallas County.

Among the 35 deaths were two Dallas men in their 40s, a Lancaster woman in her 40s, a Mesquite woman in her 50s, a Dallas woman in her 60s, and a Dallas man in his 60s.

Furthermore, the death count included a Dallas woman in her 60s, a Dallas man in his 60s, a Cedar Hill woman in her 60s, a Carrollton man in his 60s, three Dallas men in their 60s, a Mesquite man in his 60s, a Dallas man in his 60s, a Dallas woman in her 60s, and a Dallas man in his 70s.

Also among the deaths reported Thursday were two women in their 70s who lived at Dallas long-term care facilities, a Garland man in his 70s, a Carrollton man in his 70s, a man in his 70s who lived at a Desoto long-term care facility, and a Garland man in his 70s.

The death count also included a man in his 70’s who lived at a Garland long-term care facility, a Mesquite man in his 70s, a Dallas man in his 80s, a Grand Prairie woman in her 80s, an Irving man in his 80s, a Sunnyvale woman in her 80s, two women in their 80s who lived at Mesquite long-term care facilities, a man in his 90s who lived at a Balch Springs long-term care facility, a woman in her 90s who lived at a Lancaster long-term care facility, a woman in her 90s who lived at a Grand Prairie long-term care facility, and a Cedar Hill man in his 90s.

Over the past 30 days, there have been 8,556 COVID-19 cases in school-aged children and staff reported from 739 different K-12 schools in Dallas County. A total of 420 children in Dallas County under 18 years of age have been hospitalized since the beginning of the pandemic, including 32 patients diagnosed with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome (MIS-C) in children.

The county reported 112 active long-term care facility outbreaks as of Thursday. A cumulative total of 3,838 residents and 2,169 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 817 have been hospitalized and 448 have died. About 22% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities.

Sixteen outbreaks of COVID-19 in homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes have been reported in the past 30 days; 378 residents and 187 staff members in congregate-living facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

“The decisions we make today will have a big impact on the number of new cases ten days to two weeks from now and the number of deaths a month from now,” Jenkins said. “We must continue to make the small sacrifices to keep ourselves, our community and our country safe, and if we do this, together we will win the battle against COVID.”

Dallas County reported 36,024 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered at the Fair Park mega-vaccine clinic since Jan. 11. With the additional allotment from the state, there were under 2,000 doses remaining for the week as of Thursday.

Johnson & Johnson Submits Single-Dose COVID-19 Vaccine Candidate to FDA for Emergency Use Authorization

Johnson & Johnson submitted an application to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration requesting emergency use authorization for its single-dose COVID-19 vaccine candidate Thursday.

The vaccine can be stored in most standard refrigerators at temperatures..

“Today’s submission for Emergency Use Authorization of our investigational single-shot COVID-19 vaccine is a pivotal step toward reducing the burden of disease for people globally and putting an end to the pandemic,” said Johnson & Johnson Vice Chairman of the Executive Committee and Chief Scientific Officer Paul Stoffels.

Stoffels also said that upon authorization, the company would be ready to begin shipping the investigational single-dose vaccine.

The company’s submission is based on efficacy and safety data from the phase 3 clinical trial.

Dallas County Opens Vaccine Registration Hotline

Dallas County Health Officials announced the opening of a call center to assist the community with over-the-phone registration for the COVID-19 vaccine.

The vaccine registration hotline number is 855-466-8639 and is open seven days per week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Information about vaccine registration and qualifications can be found at dallascountycovid.org

SMU Professor Among Three Appointed to Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists

Gov. Greg Abbott appointed Jodie Elder and two others to the Texas State Board of Examiners of Marriage and Family Therapists Feb. 3.

The board licenses and regulates Marriage and Family Therapists in Texas and terms are set to expire on February 1, 2027.

Jodie Elder, Ph.D., is an adjunct professor of Counseling in the Simmons School of Education and Human Development at SMU. She is a licensed professional counselor supervisor and a licensed marriage and family therapist.

She is a member of the Texas Counseling Association, Texas Association of Marriage and Family Counselors, American Counseling Association, Relational Therapists of Dallas, and the International Association of Marriage and Family Therapists.

Elder received a bachelor of arts in psychology degree from The University of Texas, a master of arts degree in Professional Counseling from Texas State University, and a doctor of Philosophy in Counselor Education and Supervision degree from Texas A&M University – Commerce.

These appointments are subject to Senate confirmation.