Jenkins urges Abbott to get tougher as Dallas County soars to 1,267 coronavirus cases, another high

As Dallas County reported a single-day high of 1,267 new coronavirus cases Saturday — after four straight days of reporting fewer than 750 cases — County Judge Clay Jenkins again called on Gov. Greg Abbott to take stronger measures to fight the pandemic.

The county also reported 18 more deaths, making this the deadliest week of the outbreak so far.

The most recent victims include four Dallas residents: a man in his 30s, a man in his 60s, a man in his 70s and a woman in her 80s; a DeSoto woman in her 70s; a Duncanville man in his 40s; a Grand Prairie man in his 50s; a Lancaster man in his 60s; and a Mesquite man in his 70s. The deaths also include two Garland residents, a man in his 70s and a man in his 60s.

The remaining victims were residents of long-term care homes. Four lived in Dallas facilities and included a man in his 50s, a woman in her 70s, a man in his 70s and a woman in her 90s; two victims, a man in his 60s and a man in his 80s, lived in DeSoto facilities; and one victim, a man in his 60s, lived in a facility in Cedar Hill.

The county has now had 46,013 cases, or about 17.5 cases for every 1,000 residents, including 606 deaths. The county does not report the number of recoveries.

Before Tuesday, the county had reported more than 1,000 new cases for 18 consecutive days.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins urged residents to continue to wear masks in public and avoid unnecessary trips and errands.

“I know today’s numbers are disappointing, but if we continue to do what science tells us is necessary to keep ourselves safe, we’ll see benefits,” Jenkins said in a prepared statement. “I again call on Governor [Greg] Abbott to listen to the advice that doctors have given for the last month to close all businesses where masks cannot be worn one hundred percent of the time.”

Jenkins also encouraged county residents to order take-out from local restaurants, since a decrease in dine-in customers has caused restaurants to lose revenue.

The county said that detailed data on hospitalizations, intensive-care unit admissions and emergency room visits for COVID-19 symptoms — three metrics used to monitor the course of the outbreak — would not be available for the next few days due to changes implemented by the state health department.

Statewide, 6,020 cases were reported Saturday along with 168 deaths, both down from totals of the previous three days. Hospitalizations also dipped slightly to 9,827, though the state said the data is incomplete due to changes in reporting methods.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County reported 15 more COVID-19 deaths Saturday, putting the county’s death total at 344.

The most recent victims include six Grapevine residents — a woman in her 80s, three men in their 80s and two women in their 90s; two Arlington women — one in her 60s and one in her 90s; five Fort Worth residents — two women in their 50s, a man in his 60s and two men in their 80s; and two Lake Worth men in their 70s.

The county also reported 584 new cases of the virus, bringing the number of positive cases to 25,146, or about 12 for every 1,000 residents. A total of 11,956 people have recovered, and 737 people are hospitalized.

Collin County

Collin County reported 80 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, as well as one death.

The most recent victim was an 84-year-old man who died at Founders Plaza Nursing and Rehab in Wylie, the county said in a news release.

The county has now had 5,762 cases of the virus, or about 5.6 for every 1,000 residents, including 74 deaths. There have been 4,415 recoveries, and 172 people are hospitalized.

Denton County

Denton County reported 128 new COVID-19 cases Saturday, along with two deaths.

The most recent victims were a Roanoke woman in her 80s and a man in his 80s who lived in an unincorporated area of Denton County.

The county has now had 6,043 cases of the virus, or about 6.8 for every 1,000 residents, including 49 deaths. A total of 3,276 people have recovered, according to the county’s data.

Other counties

Coronavirus reporting for many North Texas counties has been taken over by the Texas Department of State Health Services, and they may not report updated totals each day. The latest numbers are:

• Rockwall County: 673 cases, 17 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 1,440 cases, five deaths.
• Ellis County: 2,268 cases, 21 deaths.
• Johnson County: 1,234 cases, seven deaths.

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