City of Dallas COVID-19 Update: May 6
 Friend — Below are the latest City of Dallas COVID-19 updates and some information that might be of interest to you, including details about a new COVID-19 testing site Kroger is opening in South Dallas, information about the businesses that will be reopening Friday under Governor Abbott’s executive order, and information about Thank You Thursday tomorrow. Confirmed Positive Cases of COVID-19 in North Texas 4,869 in Dallas County (246 are new) & 123 deaths (recovery numbers unknown) 2,813 in Tarrant County (127 are new) & 88 deaths (654 recovered) 846 in Denton County (14 are new) & 22 deaths (406 recovered) 839 in Collin County (11 are new) & 22 deaths (557 recovered) 210 in Ellis County & 10 deaths (142 recovered) 105 in Rockwall County & 4 deaths (recovery numbers unknown) 101 in Kaufman County & 1 death (77 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: 5,712 Beds occupied: 3,494 (61%) Total ICU beds: 827 ICU beds occupied: 532 (64%) Total ventilators: 942 Ventilators in use: 326 (35%) Below are charts to show how the numbers have changed since the order was issued to require this information to be reported:    COVID-19 Lab Reports Below are the COVID-19 testing numbers reported to the City of Dallas today: 378 COVID-19 tests 40 positive 310 negative Testing numbers from labs to date Total tests to date by Dallas County Health and Human Services 2,905 Total tests to date private labs* 20,943 Total negative tests to date* 19,811 *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. Community-Based Testing Sites The numbers reported from the two community-based testing sites and mobile testing units are as follows: American Airlines Center, Ellis Davis Field House, and Mobile Testing Total number of visitors today: 978 Total tested today: 915 Total number of visitors since the sites opened: 28,327 Total number of tests since the sites opened: 22,842 Demographic information on those who visited the test sites and a breakdown of the number of people who visited each site or received mobile testing can be found here. Op-Ed Regarding Data The City of Dallas has been working with Dr. Timothy Bray, the Director of the Institute for Urban Policy Research at the University of Texas at Dallas, on analyzing data the City and Dallas County have been collecting. He recently published an op-ed in the Dallas Morning News about the importance of collecting this data. Read his op-ed by clicking on the image below. 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. City of Dallas/Mayor’s Office Updates Just a reminder to participate in Thank You Thursday the day after tomorrow. Learn more about the importance of #ThankYouThursday here and sign up to participate by clicking on the image below.  We are currently looking at COVID-19 mobile testing in Dallas for residents who do not have transportation to go to the drive-through sites. The plan is to start in the highest-impact ZIP codes. The City released an updated list of Frequently Asked Questions regarding the Emergency Regulations in place in the City of Dallas in English and Spanish. Just a reminder that hours of operation on Sundays for the Community-Based Testing Sites (CBTS) will be reduced due to a low number of visitors. The sites will operate from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday to Saturday and 8 a.m. to noon on Sunday. Mobile testing for area nursing homes and senior living facilities continues as an extension of the federally supported CBTS effort. Mortgage and Rental Assistance Program The City of Dallas Mortgage and Rental Assistance Program applications portal is now closed. We had 9,966 applicants who, based on their answers, are eligible for the next phase of the process. The City of Dallas has released a request for applications for nonprofits interested in assisting with the distribution of funds to residents. Nonprofits interested in participating are being asked to register as a vendor in the Bonfire portal. The reference number is BJ20-00013555. Answers to frequently asked questions about the program can be found here. For questions, you can email [email protected]. Small Business Continuity Fund Please check out these English and Spanish checklist graphics, which explain proof-of-eligibility requirements, documentation requirements, and the pre-screening process. Answers to frequently asked questions about the program can be found here. Below is more information about the program: Applications will continue to be accepted until May 11 at 11:59 p.m. A lottery process will determine which businesses will receive funding. $2.5M is set aside for low-cost loans (up to $50,000) and $2.5M is set aside for grants (up to $10,000). Of the $2.5M in grants, $1.25M is reserved for businesses located in highly-distressed census tracts. Businesses must be located in the City of Dallas. Businesses must be able to prove they were in operation for a minimum of six months prior to March 16, 2020 and demonstrate a 25% drop in revenue due to the COVID-19 restrictions. For questions, you can email [email protected] or call (469) 749-6500 from Monday – Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.  Updates from Dallas County Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 246 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 4,869, with 123 total deaths to date. Of cases requiring hospitalization who reported employment, about 79% 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, 65% 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 123 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 5/5). 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. Dallas County only updates the summary report on Tuesdays and Fridays. Updates from Collin County There are 11 new cases (net) of COVID-19 in Collin County today, as of 3:30 p.m. There are 260 current cases of COVID-19 in Collin County (total cases minus recovered and deceased). There have been 839 total confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Collin County. 557 people have successfully recovered; 25 are hospitalized; 235 remain in home isolation. There have been 22 confirmed deaths associated with COVID-19 in Collin County. There have been 8,656 negative COVID-19 tests in Collin County. There are 1,334 Persons Under Monitoring (PUM) in Collin County. Updates from Denton County Denton County Public Health (DCPH) has announced 14 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County. This increases the cumulative, countywide total to 846 confirmed COVID-19 cases. DCPH is also announcing 10 newly recovered COVID-19 cases within the county. DCPH is also providing an additional free drive-thru COVID-19 testing center on Friday, May 8, 2020. Community members must call to pre-register for testing at 940-349-2585. The testing center will be held in the Dillard’s Parking lot at Music City Mall at 2401 S. Stemmons Fwy. in Lewisville from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Eligible community members are those who have symptoms of COVID-19, or have been symptomatic within the past 7 days. Asymptomatic first responders, healthcare workers, long-term care facility staff, and transportation workers are also eligible for free testing. 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 In a press conference yesterday, Governor Greg Abbott announced plans to reopen barbers and salons on Friday, May 8, and plans to reopen gyms and other exercise facilities on May 18. Learn more about his new set of executive orders here. Kroger Health Testing Site Beginning this Saturday, Kroger Health will offer 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 my office at (214) 670-3301. Sincerely, Office of Mayor Eric Johnson 1500 Marilla Street, 5EN Dallas, Texas 75201 |
