As Dallas County reports 8 more coronavirus deaths, Jenkins says this week will be one of the deadliest

Updated at 5:08 pm: Revised to include Rockwall and Ellis counties.

Dallas County reported eight additional victims of COVID-19 on Wednesday, a day after authorities announced a record 20 deaths.

The county also reported 1,055 new cases of coronavirus, making Wednesday the 13th consecutive day with at least 1,000.

“The eight deaths we experience today make it clear … that this will be one of our deadliest weeks yet,” County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement.

Five of the latest victims were Dallas residents: two men in their 60s, a woman in their 70s and two men in their 80s and 90s, who lived in long-term care facilities.

The other victims were a Duncanville woman in her 70s, a Grand Prairie man in her 50s and a Mesquite woman in her 60s.

Dallas County has reported 36 deaths in four days this week. Last week it was the county’s deadliest pandemic, with 54 deaths from coronavirus.

The county’s confirmed case count now stands at 36,969, or about 14 per 1,000 residents. There have been 485 total deaths. Dallas County does not report recoveries.

Health officials said hospitalizations for COVID-19 remain high, with 648 reported Tuesday. There were 646 visits to the emergency room, about 35% of all visits, for symptoms of the disease.

Depending on the county, those numbers may be artificially low due to a reporting problem.

Jenkins said he is urging Governor Greg Abbott to enact the suggestion he made three weeks ago: that the governor close businesses where it is not always possible to wear masks, such as dinners at restaurants and cigar bars.

“The longer we wait to enact these modest restrictions, the worse things will be and the more damage to public health and the economy is likely to occur,” he said.

Jenkins asked that people not go to those businesses where masks cannot be worn and that they take a mask when they leave home.

He said that the guests of the house should also wear masks and stay more than six feet away if it is not possible to wear a mask.

“We will overcome this north of Texas, and we will overcome it faster and with less disease, death and damage to our economy, if we all follow the science,” Jenkins said.

Starting Wednesday, both Dallas County mega test centers, at the Ellis Davis Field House in the Red Bird area and at the University of Dallas at Irving, will be open only to residents of the county and city of Dallas . People looking for proof must present proof of residency, such as a utility bill.

Previously, the Ellis Davis Field House site had no residence restrictions.

This change comes after local officials took over tests from the federal government in an effort to provide faster results. Federal tests took up to two weeks to obtain results, authorities said.

Tarrant county

Tarrant County reported five deaths from the coronavirus on Wednesday, as well as 857 new cases.

The victims were an Arlington man in his 40s, two Fort Worth women in his 70s, a Mansfield woman in his 80s and a Watauga woman in his 70s. All had underlying health conditions, authorities said.

According to county data, 680 people are hospitalized with the virus and 9,619 have recovered.

County totals have increased to 19,871 confirmed cases, or about 9.5 per 1,000 residents, and 277 deaths.

Collin County

A Dallas man in his 80s who died in Highland Springs Senior Living was the 62nd victim of the coronavirus in Collin County, officials said Wednesday.

The county also reported 134 new cases of COVID-19 and said 222 people are hospitalized with the virus.

Collin County has reported 4,934 cases, approximately 4.8 per 1,000 residents, and 3,951 recoveries.

Denton County

Denton County reported 151 new cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday.

Hospitalizations for the disease were at 108, according to county data. No new deaths were reported, leaving the county’s death toll at 41.

The county has now seen 4,467 cases, or about five per 1,000 residents. It has reported 2,470 recoveries.

The Denton County Department of Public Health said it will provide free test drives from 8 am to noon Friday at the CH Collins Sports Complex, 1500 Long Road in Denton. Pre-registration is required and can be done by calling 940-349-2585.

To be eligible, people must have had symptoms of the virus in the past week, be essential employees, be over 60, or have been in contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19.

Other counties

The Texas Department of State Health Services has been tasked with reporting coronavirus cases in several North Texas counties, and they may not report updated totals every day.

The last numbers are:

• Rockwall County: 513 cases, 17 deaths.
• Kaufman County: 1,109 cases, five deaths.
• Ellis County: 1,811 cases, 21 deaths.
• Johnson County: 932 cases, four deaths.