Dallas County reports 8th, 9th coronavirus deaths and 72 new cases; Denton, Johnson counties report 1 death each

Updated 8:33 p.m.: Revised to include two new cases in Ellis County.

Dallas County reported its eighth and ninth deaths related to coronavirus on Saturday, along with 72 additional positive cases.

The eighth and ninth deaths are a DeSoto resident in his 50s who had no underlying health conditions and a Dallas man in his 70s. Both men had been critically ill in area hospitals, the county said.

“This serves as a sober reminder that COVID-19 is a dangerous disease for everyone and is why it’s so important that we all need to stay home to stay safe,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a prepared statement. “I am so proud of the work of our first-responders, health heroes and our executive teams, but I’m also proud of the spirit of community that we are seeing through North Texas. Together, we’ll #flattenthecurve.”

After slightly lower daily case counts on Thursday and Friday, the latest report inched back up toward the county’s one-day high of 78 cases reported Wednesday.

Dallas County now has 439 positive cases. That does not include people who were treated or tested in Dallas County but live elsewhere.

No other details about the new cases were made available. Dallas County health officials have started releasing a more detailed demographic breakdown of cases on Tuesdays and Fridays.

The most recent deaths come a day after Dallas County health officials warned that hospitalizations due to the virus are increasing. About a third of all positive cases as of Friday had required hospitalization, county health officials said. Of the 111 people hospitalized by that day, 40 had required treatment in intensive care, according to the most recent county data.

The county said about two-thirds of hospitalizations have been among people who are either older than 60 or who have at least one chronic health condition.

Dallas County was the first in North Texas to issue a shelter-in-place order in response to the outbreak. County and public health officials say the measure is important to “flatten the curve,” a phrase that refers to efforts to slow the infection rate so that hospitals and health-care providers are not overwhelmed and unable to effectively treat patients.

Dallas-area hospitals have also called for Gov. Greg Abbott to issue a statewide shelter-in-place order, warning that their hospital capacity may be depleted by early April if more extreme measures aren’t put in place.

Health experts have said positive cases will continue to rise as testing becomes more available.

In Dallas County, two drive-through testing sites are available to test anyone who has a fever of 99.6 degrees or higher, is coughing or experiencing shortness of breath. The sites are at American Airlines Center near downtown Dallas and Ellis Davis Field House in the Red Bird area.

Collin County

The county reported 11 new cases on Saturday, bringing its total to 129.

According to county officials, four cases were confirmed in Plano, three in Dallas, two in McKinney and one each in Frisco and Lucas.

Seven of the cases were women, including the three in Dallas — a 26-year-old, 47-year-old and 51-year-old, officials said. No information was available about how they contracted COVID-19.

The Plano cases include a 27-year-old man, a 32-year-old man and a 35-year-old man, and a 55-year-old woman. No further information was provided.

Others who tested positive were a 68-year-old man in Lucas, a 61-year-old woman in Frisco, a 65-year-old woman in McKinney and a 93-year-old woman in McKinney.

The 93-year-old patient was hospitalized with no recent travel history or known contact with another patient. No further information was released about the other patients.

Denton County

Denton County reported its second death related to coronavirus on Saturday, along with 11 additional positive cases. The new cases bring the county’s total to 148.

The person who died was an Aubrey man in his 60s. He previously reported hospitalized and contracted the illness locally.

“We are saddened to report a second COVID-19 death within our county,” Denton County Judge Andy Eads said in a prepared statement. "To his family, we continue to send our thoughts and prayers to you as you navigate through this difficult time.”

Of the 11 new positive cases, one is a resident of the Denton County State Supported Living Center, public health officials said. That brings to 40 the number of cases reported at the campus, one of 13 such facilities in the state to serve Texans who have intellectual and developmental disabilities, medical fragility and behavioral problems.

Thirty-one of the center’s cases were announced Friday, just over a week after the facility’s first positive cases were reported.

The center, the state’s only one in North Texas, is testing all employees and residents for the virus and awaiting results.

Of the county’s 148 cases reported to date, 112 are self-isolations, 32 are hospitalizations, and four are still being investigated. Twenty-eight people have recovered.

Ellis County

Two more positive cases were confirmed by county health officials Saturday, bringing the total to 15.

Of that total, five were reported in Ennis, three each in Midlothian and Red Oak, two in Waxahachie and one each in Palmer and Maypearl. Eight were men and seven were women, officials said.

Eight of the 15 cases fall between the ages of 30 and 49, officials said.

Johnson County

Johnson County reported its first coronavirus-related death Saturday.

According to the county’s data, the death occurred out of state but will be included in the county’s totals going forward. KXAS-TV (NBC 5) reported that the man was in his late 60’s and that he contracted the disease while on a cruise.

There are six other positive cases in the county, according to the county’s Friday report.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 14 additional cases of COVID-19 on Saturday, bringing the county’s total to 128.

No further details about the new cases were released. The county has had one death related to the disease, and three people have recovered.

Fort Worth has the most positive cases, at 44, followed by Arlington and Mansfield, with 21 and nine cases, respectively.

Half of the cases are believed to be travel-related, while 48 are believed to be a result of community spread, according to county health officials.

Meanwhile, Fort Worth police officers will begin wearing masks and gloves as they interact with the public, the Police Department announced Saturday.

“We understand that this is not ideal and will be an adjustment, but this decision has been made to protect the health and safety of everyone,” the statement read.

Among other protective measures, the department regularly disinfects every police vehicle and wipes them down before each shift, and it conducts temperature checks of every employee entering city facilities. It has done away with roll calls and has instructed officers to wash hands frequently and comply with social-distancing practices.

Rockwall County

The county’ reported its fourth positive case of the new coronavirus on Saturday. The person lives in Fate, the county said.