Dallas County Reports 27 COVID Deaths Thursday

Dallas County health officials reported a total of 781 new cases of COVID Thursday, with 382 of those cases being probable cases.

A total of 27 deaths were reported, including a Lancaster man in his 30s with no high-risk underlying health conditions.

The county said that the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations Wednesday was 381 patients. Emergency room visits for COVID-19 symptoms represented about 14% of all ER visits, according to information reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council.

During the past 30 days, there were 2,688 COVID-19 cases in school-aged children and staff reported from 553 separate K-12 schools in Dallas County. One death of a teacher in a Dallas County K-12 school was confirmed this past week. A total of 466 children in Dallas County under 18 years of age have been hospitalized since the beginning of the pandemic, including 37 patients diagnosed with Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children (MIS-C).  Over 80% of reported MIS-C cases in Dallas have occurred in children who are Hispanic, Latino, or Black.

“The COVID virus is still in our community and we must continue to take precautions to protect ourselves, our family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. “We should follow the advice of doctors and public health experts and continue wearing our mask, washing our hands, avoiding crowds and forgoing get-togethers at this time.”

As states expand vaccine eligibility, Jenkins said teachers, childcare workers and staff will now be included.

“We will begin vaccinating that important group at Fair Park through our Community Vaccination Center if they live in one of our 17 priority zip codes,” he said Thursday. “They will receive an invite directly from DCHHS to make an appointment. Please encourage all family and friends who are teachers and school staff to register on the county registration site.”

In other news:

• Dallas Independent School District is holding in-person vaccine registration events to sign people up for the waitlist to get the vaccine. Locations include Hillcrest High School on Saturday, March 6 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and W.T. White High School on Saturday, March 6 from 1 to 3 p.m.
  • While these events are only for vaccine registration, additional help for eligible vaccine candidates to sign up for the county waitlist include the Dallas Independent School District’s helpline 855-466-8639, which is available everyday, from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., in English and Spanish. Registration forms are also available online.

• Current vaccination options start at age 16, but many wonder when more school-aged children will be able to get the shot. Here’s an explainer on the work manufacturers are doing to produce a COVID-19 vaccine for younger children.
• Ready for the vaccine but not yet eligible? Volunteers at the Fair Park COVID Vaccine Mega Center who spend at least 15 hours working on site may receive a vaccine. Here’s one way to try to receive the vaccine if you are not yet qualified.