Dallas County adds 460 coronavirus cases — more than one-third of them from backlog — and 1 death

The county’s average number of daily cases is continuing to decline, County Judge Clay Jenkins said.

By Tom Steele 3:00 PM on Aug 31, 2020 — Updated at 5:41 PM on Aug 31, 2020

Updated at 5:40 p.m.: Revised to include statewide numbers.

Dallas County reported 460 new coronavirus cases Monday, with more than a third of them resulting from a backlog in the state’s reporting system.

The county also announced one more death from COVID-19, the illness caused

The victim, whose death brings the county’s toll to 902, was a Dallas man in his 50s who was found dead at his home.

Of the newly reported cases, 292 were from August, county officials said. There were 159 backlogged cases from July and nine more from June.

Dallas County has had 71,630 total confirmed coronavirus cases; it does not report a number of recoveries. Separately, the county has reported 2,946 probable cases of the virus and eight probable deaths.

Across Texas, 2,374 new cases and 26 deaths were reported Monday, raising the state’s totals to 612,969 cases and 12,536 deaths from the virus. The numbers reported Mondays are generally lower than on other days because of weekend delays.

There were 4,203 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Texas, including 831 in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. The seven-day average of positive coronavirus tests is 12%, above the 10% threshold that Gov. Greg Abbott has said is cause for concern.

Updated data on Dallas County COVID-19 hospitalizations and emergency-room visits were not available Monday. Local health officials have said those statistics are among the key metrics for measuring the virus’s spread in the

County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement that the average number of daily cases was continuing to decline.

“The trends are going in the right direction, but we must continue to be diligent about mask wearing, social distancing, hand-washing and avoiding unnecessary trips and indoor places where masks cannot be or are not being worn 100% of the time,” he said.

Tarrant County

Tarrant County added 131 coronavirus cases Monday.

The county did not report any new deaths from the virus, so its toll remains at 552.

The new cases raise the county’s total to 41,617, which includes 2,283 probable cases.

According to the county’s data, 221 patients are hospitalized with COVID-19, while 35,975 people have recovered from it.

Collin County

Collin County officials reported 43 new coronavirus cases and one death Monday.

No details about the latest victim were available.

The county continues to note on its online coronavirus dashboard that it doesn’t have confidence in data the Department of State Health Services is providing.

According to the dashboard, Collin County has had 10,989 confirmed cases, with 112 deaths and 10,377 recoveries. Ninety-eight patients are hospitalized.

Denton County

Officials in Denton County reported 131 new positive coronavirus tests Monday, pushing the county’s confirmed case total past 10,000.

No deaths from COVID-19 were reported, leaving the county’s death toll at 100.

Denton County has had 10,125 confirmed cases of the virus, with 8,059 recoveries. Thirty-nine patients remain hospitalized.

Free drive-through testing will be available Friday at the University of North Texas’ Discovery Park, 3940 N. Elm St.

The testing is for people who have had COVID-19 symptoms in the last week or contact with someone with the illness, essential workers, and residents 60 and older. To pre-register, call 940-349-2585.

Other counties

The Texas Department of State Health Services has taken over reporting for many North Texas counties, and some may not report updates each day.

The latest numbers are:

·        Rockwall County: 1,316 cases, 21 deaths.

·        Kaufman County: 2,757 cases, 37 deaths.

·        Ellis County: 3,758 cases, 56 deaths.

·        Johnson County: 2,500 cases, 44 deaths.

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