Cases of COVID-19 among Plano ISD students and staff members have decreased by more than 50% since mid-January.
In Plano ISD, 737 students and 55 employees were listed with current cases, according to the district’s COVID-19 dashboard, which was last updated Feb. 2. Those totals amount to 1.5% of district students and 1.06% of staff members, according to the dashboard.
The Feb. 2 numbers are a nearly 52% decrease among students and a more than 65% drop among staff since Jan. 12. At that time, 1,528 students and 158 employees were listed with current cases, according to the dashboard.
Nearly 22% of North Texas hospital beds were filled with COVID-19 patients on Feb. 1. The 21.77% total is a nearly 18% decrease in the percentage of hospital beds in Trauma Service Area E occupied by confirmed COVID-19 patients since the 2022 high on Jan. 18, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services dashboard. The trauma service area consists of 19 counties in North Texas, including Collin and Denton counties.
The Jan. 18 total was 26.48% of hospital beds occupied by confirmed COVID-19 patients.
Denton County also reported a decrease in COVID-19 cases in the past week, county Public Health Director Dr. Matt Richardson said.
“We think we have turned the corner a little bit,” Richardson said during a Feb. 1 county commissioners meeting.
According to data from DSHS, there were 11,997 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals as of Feb. 1, which is a more than 82% increase from the 6,571 patients Jan. 1.
The Collin County dashboard lists 509 hospitalized COVID-19 patients out of the county’s 2,702-hospital-bed capacity as of Feb. 1. The Denton County dashboard showed it had more than 24% of its available beds filled by COVID-19 patients as of Feb. 2.
Collin County announced in August 2020 that it would no longer report city-specific coronavirus information. Plano stopped providing city-specific COVID-19 information July 1. As of Feb. 2, there have been 257 total cases reported in Denton County’s portion of Plano, according to the Denton County dashboard. All but 46 of those cases have been classified as recovered, the dashboard shows.
In Collin County, there have been 149,777 confirmed cases and 1,328 deaths, according to the DSHS dashboard. In Denton County, 165,595 were confirmed to have had the virus as of Feb. 2, and 777 were confirmed dead. The Denton County dashboard listed 52,432 cases as active Jan. 12.
More than 61% of the estimated population in all six of the main ZIP codes in Plano have been fully vaccinated, according to totals from the DSHS. The 75024 ZIP code has the highest percentage of fully vaccinated residents with nearly 79% as of Jan. 31. The 75023 ZIP code has the lowest percentage with more than 61% of the estimated population listed as fully vaccinated.
More than 70% of Collin County residents age 5 and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Feb. 2, according to the DSHS COVID-19 vaccination dashboard. In Denton County, that number sits at more than 64%.
The dashboard shows a combined estimate of more than 1.2 million people in the two counties are reported as being fully vaccinated. More than 41 million doses have been administered across Texas, and nearly 17 million people have been fully vaccinated since manufacturers began shipping vials to the state in December 2020, according to the DSHS dashboard.
COVID-19 testing continues to be available throughout North Texas. In Plano, there are numerous test sites that offer both drive-thru and walk-in appointments through local pharmacies and clinics. An interactive map of the available testing sites in Plano and the surrounding area can be found at this link.
COVID-19 tests are available at no cost nationwide at health centers and select pharmacies due to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, including for those who do not have insurance.
Appointments are required for most COVID-19 testing sites.
Information about the COVID-19 vaccine and where to get vaccinated is available at www.vaccines.gov. Collin County Health Care Services announced the creation of mobile vaccination teams in July. Residents can request appointments for the free shots. Denton County Public Health has an interest portal for vaccines on its webpage and allows individuals to schedule appointments.
