Dallas County reports largest single-day increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations

The number of Dallas County residents hospitalized for COVID-19 increased by 105, or 16%, from July 5 to July 6, representing the biggest single-day jump since the start of the pandemic.

“Think of hospitalizations as the sickest of the sick, the part of the iceberg above the water,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a July 6 news release. “In order for the numbers to increase dramatically with hospitalizations, the amount of the iceberg underneath the water must grow exponentially. This is what is happening in the community where we are seeing rampant spread.”

Coronavirus hospitalizations in Dallas County were up about 23% last week, Jenkins said in a July 5 letter to Gov. Greg Abbott. Intensive care unit admissions increased by 14.5% during that time frame, he added.

An additional 1,214 positive cases and six deaths were confirmed July 6, bringing the total countywide case count to 27,054, including 401 deaths. Dallas County does not report active cases.

The type of patient diagnosed with COVID-19 is trending younger than at the beginning of the pandemic. Of all cases reported after June 1, half have been in people ages 18-39, according to the county.

Jenkins urged Abbott to immediately implement a ban on indoor dining, gyms, movie theaters, public pools, day camps and other activities that cannot realistically accommodate social distancing.

“Please don’t wait for the governor to enact these common sense and scientifically based requests,” he said in the release.

For more information on COVID-19 in Dallas County, visit this link.