Dallas County sets daily record for new COVID-19 cases

Dallas County has set a new record for single-day cases of COVID-19.

Health officials reported 1,543 new coronavirus cases and 1 death on Saturday. That includes 89 probable cases.

It’s the most the county has reported without including backlog cases.

Hospitalizations also continue to rise.

County health leaders said the upward trend is not slowing, and the next two weeks could be critical.

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said daily cases are expected to reach 2,000 by Thanksgiving.

The seasons have changed, but November in Dallas County is starting to look similar to July, when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic.

“Everything is consistent and points in the direction that things are really getting dramatically worse,” Dallas County Health Director Dr. Philip Huang.

There are 605 COVID patients in the hospital, and the positivity rate is slightly above 15%.

“The impact on our health care system, being able to handle this. We have our front line workers who have been dealing with this for months, and as these numbers get higher, it’s just overwhelming and stress on the system,” Dr. Huang explained.

On Friday, Judge Jenkins sent a letter to Governor Greg Abbott about the rising COVID spread.

The governor’s executive order does not allow restrictions on restaurants and other businesses to return until the region's patient capacity is above 15%.

Jenkins says he is not calling for a shutdown like we had this spring.

“They don’t think we need to be locked down in our homes, but they do think we need to shut down the loopholes in the bars, that we need to limit out indoor gatherings to 10 people or less, and our outdoor gatherings need to be limited to 10 or less unless you are six feet apart,” he explained.

County health officials said contact tracing has shown more people are having house gatherings or parties.

With a major holiday approaching, Jenkins and Dr. Huang are calling for people to show discipline.

“Do your Black Friday shopping online, and when it comes to Thanksgiving, we’ve got to think about celebrating that with our people we live with and find ways to reach out to the other people on the phone or another mechanism,” Jenkins said. “This won’t last forever, but it won’t go away just because you are tired.”

Health officials said while deaths are low, it’s a lagging indicator. Meaning as people continue to get sick, there could be more deaths.

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