Tracking COVID-19: North Texas now at lowest percentage of patients in hospital beds since mid-July

Figures released by Dallas County Health and Human Services show 1,675 new coronavirus cases were reported during the week that ended Oct. 30, which is a rate of 63.6 new cases per 100,000 residents, according to a county news release. There have been 345,500 cases and 5,085 deaths in Dallas County since officials began data collection in March 2020. About 17% of deaths countywide have been associated with long-term care facilities.

“It's important that we continue to have those courageous conversations with the unvaccinated and that everyone get vaccinated as soon as possible. There are many vaccination sites near you,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a statement Nov. 10. “We don't need to wait for the lawsuits from Texas against the [President Joe] Biden administration to tell us what we already know. Vaccination is important and needs to happen as soon as possible.”

According to the state’s public school dashboard, new student cases decreased by more than 33% statewide between the second and third weeks of October. During the week ending Oct. 31, 3,338 additional cases were reported, which was a decrease from the 4,805 cases reported at the end of the week prior. Cases among staff also decreased during the same time span, according to the dashboard.

In Richardson ISD, 1,369 students and 271 employees have been diagnosed since Aug. 2, according to the district’s dashboard, which was updated Nov. 10. Of cases confirmed in RISD, 33 students and eight employees still had the virus as of Nov. 10. Those totals amount to 0.09% of district students and 0.11% of staff members, according to the dashboard.

In Plano ISD, 99 students and five employees were listed with current cases, according to the district’s dashboard, which was last updated Nov. 10. Those totals amount to 0.2% of district students and 0.1% of staff members, according to the dashboard.

On Nov. 2, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended age-appropriate doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for children ages 5-11.

More than 57% of Dallas County residents age 5 and older have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Nov. 10, according to the DSHS. In Collin County, that number sits at more than 65%.

The DSHS COVID-19 vaccination dashboard shows a combined estimate of more than 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 DSHS.

More than 34 million doses have been administered across Texas, and nearly 15.6 million people have been fully vaccinated since manufacturers began shipping vials to the state in December, according to the DSHS dashboard.

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 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. 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 9,700 confirmed coronavirus cases in that county’s portion of Richardson.