Dallas County Health and Human Services reported a four-day total of 4,877 new cases of coronavirus Sept. 8.
The seven-day average now sits at 1,159, which is a rate of 44 new daily cases per 100,000 residents, according to a county news release. The seven-day average at this time last week was 1,172, which is a rate of 44.5 new daily cases per 100,000 residents.
There have been 310,272 cases and 4,388 deaths in Dallas County since officials began data collection in March 2020. About 19% of deaths countywide have been associated with long-term care facilities.
“There is a new strain of COVID-19 that has been detected in Dallas County, the mu strain,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement Sept. 8. “While the mu strain is not believed to be more contagious or deadly than the delta strain, it has new sophisticated constellations on the end of its spike which is further indication that the virus is mutating into forms which will be much more difficult to combat with our present vaccines.”
According to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, there were 13,520 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals as of Sept. 8, which is a nearly 1% increase from the 13,392 patients on Aug. 26.
As of Sept. 7, 22.07% of the hospital beds in Trauma Service Area E, which consists of 19 counties in North Texas, including Collin and Dallas counties, were occupied by confirmed COVID-19 patients, according to the DSHS dashboard. That is a more than 59% increase from the 13.88% of hospital beds occupied by confirmed COVID-19 patients Aug. 7.
According to the state’s public school dashboard, new student cases increased by more than 51% statewide between the third and fourth weeks of August. During the week ending Aug. 29, 27,353 additional cases were reported, which was a rise from the 18,111 cases reported at the end of the week prior. Cases among staff also increased during the same timespan, according to the dashboard.
In Richardson ISD, 671 students and 135 employees have been diagnosed since Aug. 2, according to the district’s dashboard, which was updated Sept. 8. Of cases confirmed in RISD, 229 students and 32 employees still had the virus as of Sept. 8. Those totals amount to 0.62% of district students and 0.45% of staff members, according to the dashboard.
In Plano ISD, 265 students and 51 employees were listed with current cases, according to the district’s dashboard, which was last updated Sept. 8. Those totals amount to 0.54% of district students and 0.98% of staff members, according to the dashboard.
Nearly 58% of Dallas County residents age 12 and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Sept. 8, according to DSHS. In Collin County, that number sits at nearly 68%.
The DSHS COVID-19 vaccination dashboard shows a combined estimate of more than 1.8 million people in the two counties reported as being fully vaccinated. DSHS estimates show there are more than 2.8 million residents age 16 and older in Collin and Dallas counties, although vaccine appointments are not limited to county residents.
The majority of the estimated population in all three of the main ZIP codes in Richardson have been fully vaccinated, according to totals from DSHS.
The 75082 ZIP code has the highest percentage of fully vaccinated residents with more than 73%, based on the population estimate from the 2019 U.S. Census Bureau Annual Community Survey results. The 75080 ZIP code has the lowest percentage of fully vaccinated residents with a little more than 50% of the estimated population.
Nearly 30 million doses have been administered across Texas, and more than 14 million people have been fully vaccinated since manufacturers began shipping vials to the state in December, according to the DSHS dashboard.
“It is increasingly clear that masks work and we’re currently seeing less infection per 100,000 people in Dallas County than in the surrounding counties, or the state as a whole, even though some of the surrounding counties have higher vaccination rates,” Jenkins said in his Sept. 8 statement. “When people wear masks, there is less spread, and therefore less illness, hospitalizations and death.”
COVID-19 testing continues to be available throughout North Texas. In Richardson, 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 Richardson 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, and information for scheduling an appointment is available on the interactive map.
Information about the COVID-19 vaccine and where to get vaccinated is available at www.vaccines.gov. Dallas County residents can register for the COVID-19 vaccine with Dallas County Health and Human Services here. Collin County Health Care Services announced July 27 the creation of mobile vaccination teams. Residents can request appointments for the free shots. According to a city of Richardson spokesperson, the city is not involved in vaccine distribution.
Dallas County Health and Human Services reported more than 500,000 vaccinations were administered at the Fair Park mega vaccine clinic, which operated Jan. 11-July 17. A pop-up vaccination clinic at Fair Park Lot 13 will take place from 8 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays through Sept. 18 for Pfizer first and second doses.
Collin County announced in August 2020 that it would no longer report city-specific information. The city of Richardson does not regularly report its own case numbers; however, Dallas County’s COVID-19 analytics dashboard shows there have been nearly 8,500 confirmed coronavirus cases in that county’s portion of Richardson.
