Figures released by Dallas County Health and Human Services show the seven-day average of new coronavirus cases declined by more than 11% over the last week.
The seven-day average now sits at 571, which is a rate of 21.7 new daily cases per 100,000 residents, according to a county news release. The seven-day average at this time last week was 643, which is a rate of 24.4 new daily cases per 100,000 residents. There have been 333,726 cases and 4,696 deaths in Dallas County since officials began data collection in March 2020. About 18% of deaths countywide have been associated with long-term care facilities.
“Now is a time for leadership from business,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement Oct. 12. “The only way we will ever end COVID is to require our employees to be vaccinated. I hope more businesses will act aggressively to protect their employees and their profits, like the Dallas Mavericks, American Airlines, Southwest Airlines and the hospitals have done.”
According to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services, there were 6,197 COVID-19 patients in Texas hospitals as of Oct. 12, which is a more than 46% decrease from the 11,554 patients Sept. 22.
As of Oct. 11, 11% 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 was a more than 49% decrease from the 21.79% of hospital beds occupied by confirmed COVID-19 patients Sept. 11. According to the state’s public school dashboard, new student cases decreased by more than 35% statewide between the last week of September and the first week of October. During the week ending Oct. 3, 9,596 additional cases were reported, which was a decrease from the 14,820 cases reported at the end of the week prior. Cases among staff also decreased during the same timespan, according to the dashboard.
In Richardson ISD, 1,225 students and 233 employees have been diagnosed since Aug. 2, according to the district’s dashboard, which was updated Oct. 12. Of cases confirmed in RISD, 86 students and 14 employees still had the virus as of Oct. 12. Those totals amount to 0.23% of district students and 0.19% of staff members, according to the dashboard.
In Plano ISD, 94 students and 10 employees were listed with current cases, according to the district’s dashboard, which was last updated Oct. 12. Those totals amount to 0.19% of district students and 0.19% of staff members, according to the dashboard.
Nearly 62% of Dallas County residents age 12 and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Oct. 12, according to DSHS. In Collin County, that number sits at nearly 71%.
The DSHS COVID-19 vaccination dashboard shows a combined estimate of nearly 2 million people in the two counties reported as being fully vaccinated. The 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 the DSHS. The 75082 ZIP code has the highest percentage of fully vaccinated residents with more than 76%, 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 52% of the estimated population.
More than 32 million doses have been administered across Texas, and more than 15.1 million people have been fully vaccinated since manufacturers began shipping vials to the state in December, according to the DSHS dashboard.
“Wear your masks indoors, and encourage your children to do so in school, and continue to have those courageous conversations with the unvaccinated to get them the information they need so they can get the life-saving vaccine and make good choices,” Jenkins said in his Oct. 12 statement. “It’s team human vs. the virus. If we focus on that and show grace to one another, we will defeat COVID.”
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.
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 more than 9,400 confirmed coronavirus cases in that county’s portion of Richardson.
