DALLAS — Dallas County officials warned the public not to stop practicing any of the recommend coronavirus guidelines just because cases and hospitalizations are trending down.
"This has led some people to believe that they can relax wearing their masks, maintaining distance, and avoiding crowds. This is a mistake," Judge Clay Jenkins said in a release.
Dallas County reported 751 additional COVID-19 cases and 42 deaths on Monday. Of the new cases, 83 were considered probable from antigen testing.
The deaths ranged from a Dallas woman in her 40s who had been hospitalized and had underlying health conditions, to a woman in her 90s who had resided in a long-term care facility in Dallas.
Jenkins went on to remind people there are four things that must happen for us to reach herd immunity and reach a "new normal," according to the Parkland Center for Clinical Innovation.
That includes following COVID-19 guidelines for masking, social distancing and gathering, have vaccines restored to Dallas and Tarrant counties, continued growth of federal operations, and for everyone who is eligible for a vaccine to be immunized, Jenkins said.
To date, 13.5% of Dallas County residents have had one shot and 7% have had both doses, officials said.
"We must continue vaccinating and not lose our resolve to make those small sacrifices that are necessary to win the fight against Covid-19. We're all in this together and we will defeat it together,” said Jenkins.
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Tarrant County reports 395 new cases, 10 new deaths
Tarrant County Public Health reported 395 new, confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 and 10 deaths Monday. The deaths ranged from two Fort Worth men in their 60s to a Hurst woman in her 90s. That number puts the county at 2,883 deaths from COVID-19 since tracking began in March 2020.
Tarrant County now has recorded more than 242,600 total cases of COVID-19 since tracking began last March. A little more than 36,000 of those cases are probable due to antigen testing. Deaths are continuing to trend downward.
Collin, Denton counties
Collin County reported 112 new cases of COVID-19 Monday, putting the county at 70,159 total confirmed cases since tracking began. So far, 721 people have died from COVID-19 in Collin County.
Denton County reported 704 new cases Monday, bringing the county's cumulative total to 64,697 COVID-19 cases. To date, 407 people have died in Denton County from the disease.