Dallas County reported 254 more coronavirus cases Monday, Tarrant County reported a backlog of 164 positive cases and Denton and Collin counties both reported one death each Monday.
The Texas positivity rate has steadily been rising since late May, hitting 7.55% as of Saturday. That is the highest it has been in the state since late April.
The positivity rate represents the percentage of people who have tested positive for COVID-19 during a seven-day period.
Read on for more updates about coronavirus in North Texas.
The University of Texas at Arlington will require everyone to wear facemasks
Starting Wednesday at 8 a.m., the University of Texas at Arlington will require all staff, faculty and students and anyone coming onto campus to wear a face mask or a cloth covering.
According to an email sent to students by interim university president Teik C. Lim, face coverings "must be worn while in campus buildings (except private offices, alone in labs, or in residence hall rooms or apartments); and elsewhere on campus where social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., student shuttle buses, well-attended outdoor events, etc.)."
Walk-up COVID-19 testing sites open in Southern Dallas
As large crowds continue to protest in North Texas, daily coronavirus case numbers are still in the high 200s every day in Dallas County.
Dallas County and Parkland Hospital recently partnered to open walk-thru COVID-19 testing sites in the South Oak Cliff and Pleasant Grove areas.
Hospital bed totals for Sunday, June 7, 2020:
According to the 25 reporting hospitals in Dallas, these are the numbers for hospital capacity in the city:
- Total beds: 6,052
- Beds occupied: 3,922
- Total ICU beds: 925
- ICU beds occupied: 610
- Total ventilators: 968
- Ventilators in use: 313
Denton County reports 1 more death, 24 new cases of coronavirus
Denton County Public Health reported one more death due to coronavirus Monday, bringing the total amount of coroanvirus deaths in the county to 34 since tracking began in March.
The person who died was a Denton man in his 60s who had been hospitalized, official said.
County health officials also reported 24 more laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County, increasing the total number of positive cases in the county to 1,524 since tracking began in March.
Dallas County reports 254 more cases of coronavirus, bringing total to 12,347
Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 254 additional positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19) Monday, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 12,347, including 264 deaths since tracking began in March.
No additional deaths were reported.
75-year-old Dallas man dies of coronavirus in Plano
A 75-year-old Dallas man died from coronavirus Friday in a Plano hospital, Collin County health officials confirmed. The man lived in the Collin County part of Dallas, and his family said he had no underlying health conditions, according to officials. The man was a resident of the Collin County portion of the City of Dallas, and officials said he had no known underlying health conditions.
Collin County now has 1,447 total confirmed cases of COVID-19 since tracking began in March, according to officials. There have been 1,036 recoveries so far.
Tarrant County reports 219 new cases of COVID-19; more than half are from a backlog
Tarrant County health officials reported 219 new cases of coronavirus Monday, bringing the county total to 6,369 since tracking began in March. Health officials say that 164 of those new cases reported Monday are older cases and were reported today because of the result of a laboratory reporting issue.
The backlog occurred because Walgreens just reported all 164 of its positive cases from from when it opened its test site in late April until today, according to health officials.
No new deaths were reported in Tarrant County Monday, and the number of hospitalizations in the county went from 157 people to 177 people Monday, officials said.
Dallas County jail reports 106 confirmed cases of COVID-19
On Friday, the Dallas county jail released its confirmed numbers of coronavirus cases.
The jail has 106 confirmed cases of COVID-19 among inmates, four tests pending results and 240 inmates in monitored quarantine. There are 28 staff members confirmed to have the virus, with three more staff tests pending.
There have been no coronavirus deaths for inmates or jail staff since the pandemic began, the county said.
Health experts recommend taking the following actions to prevent the spread of COVID-19:
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Practice "social distancing" and stay at least 6 feet away from others and avoid large public gatherings
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe.
- Follow CDC’s recommendations for using a facemask.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
- If soap and water are not readily available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol. Always wash hands with soap and water if hands are visibly dirty.
- Consult CDC’s travel website for any travel advisories and steps to protect yourself if you plan to travel outside of the U.S.
