City of Dallas COVID-19 Update: May 18
Friend — Check out the latest updates from the City of Dallas on our response to COVID-19 and some information that might be of interest to you, including details about Governor Abbott’s second reopening phase announced today: Confirmed Positive Cases of COVID-19 in North Texas 7,679 in Dallas County (224 are new) & 177 deaths (1 is new) 4,559 in Tarrant County (112 are new) & 123 deaths (0 new) (1478 recovered) 1,088 in Denton County (19 are new) & 28 deaths (0 new) (565 recovered) 1,047 in Collin County (19 are new) & 31 deaths (0 new) (713 recovered) 271 in Ellis County & 12 deaths (0 new) (184 recovered) 151 in Rockwall County & 6 deaths (0 new) (87 recovered) 143 in Kaufman County & 1 death (0 new) (102 recovered) Hospital Reports Here are the bed and ventilator capacity statistics for today as reported by 25 hospitals in the City of Dallas: Total beds: 5,713 Beds occupied: 3,539 (62%) Total ICU beds: 826 ICU beds occupied: 555 (67%) Total ventilators: 945 Ventilators in use: 308 (33%) COVID-19 Lab Reports Below are the COVID-19 testing numbers reported by public, private, and commercial labs to the City of Dallas today: 1026 COVID-19 tests 75 positive 676 negative Testing numbers from labs to date Total tests to date by public, private, and commercial labs* 38,905 Total tests to date by Dallas County Health and Human Services 3,441 Total tests to date private labs* 35,464 Total negative tests to date* 32,301 *Numbers since March 13, 2020, the date the order requiring public and private labs in Dallas to report their COVID-19 tests went into effect. Note: these numbers DO NOT include the community-based testing site numbers since those tests are conducted in a lab not in the City of Dallas. COVID-19 Dashboard The City of Dallas has created a COVID-19 Dashboard containing data that is updated daily on COVID-19 cases, ventilator and bed capacity, lab tests, demographic information, and other critical data. Check it out by clicking on the image below. New Mobile Testing Program The Dallas City Council unanimously approved a contract for mobile testing. This service will provide equity in the fight against this pandemic by ensuring testing access for vulnerable and underserved people who lack transportation to the COVID-19 testing sites. While this disease has pushed people away from each other physically, it should not tear people apart and deepen the divide in Dallas between the haves and have-nots. The City will pay for the contract with UrgentCare2Go using $660,000 of funds provided by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The mobile testing launched Friday, May 15. To be eligible for COVID-19 Mobile Testing, residents must: • Reside in any ZIP code in the City of Dallas (this is new TODAY); and • NOT have transportation and NOT have the means to get to a testing site. Additionally, residents must have had recent direct contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or at least one of the three symptoms listed below: • Temperature of 99.6 or higher • Cough • Shortness of breath Residents undergoing mobile testing should understand this service is for COVID-19 testing only and not for medical or life-threatening medical emergencies. The COVID-19 mobile testing appointments can be scheduled between the hours of 9 a.m. and 9 p.m., 7 days a week through the UrgentCare2GO screening line by calling 1-888-601-0568. COVID-19 mobile testing appointments will be scheduled at NO COST to eligible residents during two-hour time slots with a maximum capacity of 60 appointments a day. Thank You Thursday Just a reminder to participate in #ThankYouThursday every Thursday to show appreciation for frontline workers. Learn more and let us know you plan to participate by clicking on the image below. Updates from Dallas County Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 224 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 7,679, with 177 total deaths to date. Of cases requiring hospitalization who reported employment, over 80% have been critical infrastructure workers, with a broad range of affected occupational sectors, including: healthcare, transportation, food and agriculture, public works, finance, communications, clergy, first responders and other essential functions. Of cases requiring hospitalization, two-thirds have been under 65 years of age, and about half do not have high-risk chronic health conditions. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Of the 177 total deaths reported to date, over a third have been associated with long-term care facilities. Please see the latest summary report for more information (updated on 5/15). The report contains race/ethnicity information on the confirmed tests and deaths and important information comparing influenza ICU admissions and hospitalizations and COVID-19 ICU admissions and hospitalizations. Updates from Collin County There are 19 new cases (net) of COVID-19 in Collin County today, as of 3:30 p.m. There are 303 current cases of COVID-19 in Collin County (total cases minus recovered and deceased). There have been 1,047 total confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Collin County. 713 people have successfully recovered; 13 are hospitalized; 290 remain in home isolation. There have been 31 confirmed deaths associated with COVID-19 in Collin County. There have been 13,491 negative COVID-19 tests in Collin County. There are 1,776 Persons Under Monitoring (PUM) in Collin County. Updates from Denton County Denton County Public Health (DCPH) has announced 19 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County. This increases the cumulative, countywide total to 1,088 confirmed COVID-19 cases. DCPH is also reporting 8 newly recovered cases of COVID-19. Additional details regarding DCPH’s drive-thru COVID-19 testing centers can be found at DentonCounty.gov/COVID19testing. Visit DentonCounty.gov/COVIDstats for local COVID-19 data including interactive heat maps, charts, and city and zip code data. Visit DentonCounty.gov/COVID19 for COVID-19 health and safety information. Updates from the State Governor Greg Abbott today announced the second phase of the State of Texas’ ongoing plan to open Texas. Under Phase II, restaurants may increase their occupancy to 50% and additional services and activities that remained closed under Phase I may open with restricted occupancy levels and minimum standard health protocols laid out by the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). You can read the executive order by clicking on the image below. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission announced more than $3M in federal funding to provide shelter and services to survivors of family and domestic violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. This federal funding will support the 78 HHSC-funded local family violence centers that provide survivors with immediate shelter, supportive services, and access to community-based programs. Governor Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation extending his Disaster Declaration for all Texas counties in response to COVID-19. Originally issued on March 13 and extended on April 12, the Disaster Declaration provides the state a number of resources to effectively serve Texans as the Lone Star State continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. For more details, please visit Governor Abbott’s website. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has announced the launch of a statewide pilot program allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to purchase groceries online at participating retailers for curbside pickup or delivery starting Wednesday. Check here for more details about the program. Walmart Drive-Thru Testing Site Walmart has opened four additional COVID-19 drive-thru sites in Dallas County. One of these new sites is located in the City of Dallas at 15757 Coit Rd. Walmart continues to maintain operations at a previously opened drive-thru site located at 9410 Webb Chapel Rd. Appoinments must be made at www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com, which will screen individuals to ensure they meet CDC eligibility for testing. For questions regarding testing, you can call 800-635-8611. Those being tested will need to wear a mask or cloth covering and stay in their cars for verification of eligibility criteria, ID check, and self-administered test. The site will use a self-administered nasal swab test that will allow those being tested to swab their own nose onsite while in their vehicles. Please note: testing is not available inside Walmart stores. For more information, please check out the article about the site by clicking on the image below. Kroger Health Testing Site Kroger Health is now offering a free COVID-19 testing site in South Dallas and expects to perform over 1,000 tests weekly. Residents can check if they are eligible for testing and register at https://www.krogerhealth.com/covidtesting. Eligible residents will be able to choose an appointment time online and will then receive an email confirmation. When the resident arrives for their test, they should have their photo ID ready and should leave their window rolled up for check-in until a health care practitioner comes to the car to provide the patient with the test. For more information, please see the press release in English and Spanish and click on the image below. Walgreens Testing Site Walgreens opened a drive-thru testing site in southern Dallas at 2060 South Buckner Boulevard. Pre-registration is required to get tested at this location. To receive a test, individuals must first complete an online health assessment to determine eligibility. After the test, patients will be informed of results within 24 hours. To find out more information and to sign up to get tested, click on the image below. COVID-19 Resource Hotline The City of Dallas has launched a COVID-19 resource hotline. The hotline offers information in Spanish and English 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number is 214-670-INFO (4636). You can also find a breakdown of additional resources by clicking on the image below. Dallas Regional Chamber Resources The Dallas Regional Chamber has set up a site for additional resources for residents and businesses, including information on various state and federal programs. Check out their resource guide here and their site to connect displaced workers to employment opportunities during the pandemic by clicking on the image below. United Way Resource Guides United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has put together a list of resources available to Dallas area residents in English and Spanish. Resources include the North Texas Food Bank’s open food pantries, tax filing information, and job opportunities. Senior Source Resources This is the link to the Senior Source’s COVID-19 resource guide. The guide includes information for seniors, including information on specific grocery store hours dedicated to seniors, and guidance for those who are caring for seniors during the pandemic. If you have more questions about COVID-19, including what you should do if you believe you might have the virus, check out the City’s web page, www.DallasCityHall.com/coronavirus. Please share this update. The official page to sign up to receive this newsletter is here. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reply to this email or call (214) 670-3301. Sincerely, Office of Mayor Eric Johnson 1500 Marilla Street, 5EN Dallas, Texas 75201 |