DALLAS — Dallas County health officials reported 25 more coronavirus-related deaths Saturday, bringing the countywide total to 3,122 confirmed deaths since tracking began in mid-March 2020.
Health officials said the deaths include both men and women who range in age from 50 to over 90. All but three had underlying high-risk health conditions.
“This is our fifth deadliest week yet of the COVID pandemic, and with the case numbers declining, I’m hopeful that the deaths will be going down soon,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said.
Health officials also reported 372 COVID-19 cases, of which 171 are considered probable from antigen tests. This brings the countywide total to 247,550 cases since tracking began last March.
The Dallas County Health and Human Services has administered over 126,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine at its Fair Park vaccine clinic.
“We are seeing good trends in our COVID hospitalizations and ICU numbers as more and more people become vaccinated and residents continue to practice Good COVID safety and benefit from being able to gather outdoors in warming weather,” said Jenkins.
Dallas County is also currently working with school districts and the state health department to get teachers vaccinated.
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Tarrant County reports 325 new cases
Tarrant County health officials reported 325 new cases Saturday, bringing the total confirmed case count to 207,906 since tracking began in March 2020.
According to the county's dashboard, there are currently 400 patients hospitalized due to COVID-19. This is an improvement compared to a month ago when 967 patients were reported.
The county has vaccinated more than 346,000 residents, including over 137,000 of which have received both doses, according to health officials.
Denton County adds 316 new cases
Denton County Public Health announced 316 newly confirmed cases of COVID-19 Saturday, bringing the countywide total to 67,158 cases, including 425 deaths.
DCPH also reported 451 more residents have recovered from COVID, increasing the countywide recovery total to 55,129.
More than 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses coming next week
Texas expects more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses next week. State health officials say the vaccines will be first doses, with almost a quarter-million doses being the new single-dose Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
The federal government will send more than 200,000 doses directly to pharmacies and federally qualified health centers.
The state will distribute more than 930,000 doses to providers in all but 20 of the state's counties.
The state has administered more than 6.3 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine so far, with more than 4 million people receiving at least one dose.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.