Plano saw an increase in daily confirmed coronavirus cases over the past week, a trend that was seen in Collin and Denton county cases in the same time frame.
From Oct. 26-Nov. 2, there were 276 new cases reported in Plano in both Collin and Denton counties. In the seven days prior, there were 202 cases confirmed. There have now been 4,574 total confirmed cases in Plano, data shows, and 298 are active as of Nov. 2.
In Collin County, there have been 18,844 total COVID-19 cases since reporting started in March. In the seven days leading up to Nov. 2, there were 1,076 new cases reported for the county. The week prior there were 831 confirmed. Denton County saw a smaller increase, with fewer than a hundred more cases than the week before at 1,163 new cases between Oct. 26-Nov. 2.
Denton County began reporting antigen test results Oct. 6 in addition to molecular, or PCR, tests. Collin County and Denton County have both seen increases in active cases of COVID-19 in recent weeks. Nov. 1 marked a new high in the recent surge with 1,368 active cases—the most since the height of the pandemic’s wave in Collin County in August, when there were more than 4,700 active cases in a single day. Denton County active cases continue to grow closer to the county's high of 3,094 in early August, with 3,049 active cases reported Nov. 1.
Collin County reported 13 additional deaths from residents who had tested positive for COVID-19 in the last seven days. The county total is 188 as of Nov. 2. In Denton County there were 20 additional deaths within the same time frame, and as of Nov. 2 there have been 138 total deaths reported. Deaths are no longer broken down at the city level for Collin County, but none of Denton County's deaths have been Plano residents.
Among the key indicators monitored by health experts is the number of hospitalizations. On Nov. 2, Collin County reported 187 lab-confirmed COVID-19 patients hospitalized. The number of hospitalized patients has generally been increasing in recent weeks in both counties. The numbers of confirmed cases are partly dependent on the number of tests administered, which is why the state tracks the positivity rate as another one of its key indicators.
The state's weekly positivity rate hit a record high of 24% as of Aug. 11 and after dropping substantially has recently come closer to 9%. The rate is averaged over the previous seven days and calculates the ratio of new cases to the number of tests conducted.
Gov. Greg Abbott has previously said a rate of 10% or more is cause for concern. Here is a look at the rate since early April.
