Better Weight Loss: Dallas County reports 97 more coronavirus cases; Tarrant County reports 10th and 11th deaths

Updated at 3: 15 p.m.: revised with cases from Denton County.

Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 97 more positive coronavirus cases Sunday, bringing the county’s total count to 1,112.

Of cases requiring hospitalization, roughly 75% of patients have been over 60 years old or have had at least one known high-risk chronic health problem, officials said. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in more than 25% of all hospitalized patients.

“We will get through this, North Texas,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement. “… I’m thankful for our health-care and essential business heroes, first responders, your spirit, my team’s hard work and my family being together.”

On Friday, Jenkins extended the county’s stay-at-home order until April 30. The order took effect March 24.

No other details about the new cases were released. The county has been releasing more detailed demographic summaries on Tuesdays and Fridays.

Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson tweeted Sunday that as of Saturday, more than half of the city’s hospital beds were occupied. The total includes 19 of the city’s hospitals.

Here are bed and ventilator capacity totals for Saturday, reported by 19 hospitals in @CityOfDallas pursuant to the order I issued:

Total beds: 5,148

Beds occupied: 2,671 (52%)

Total ICU beds: 772

ICU beds occupied: 462 (60%)

Total ventilators: 865

Ventilators in use: 302 (35%)

— Mayor Eric Johnson (@Johnson4Dallas) April 5, 2020

Tarrant County

Tarrant County Public Health reported two more COVID-19 deaths, including an elderly woman who was a resident at the Heartis Arlington assisted living and memory care home.

She had been hospitalized after becoming sick, officials said.

The second new death was an elderly man from Fort Worth who had underlying health problems and died at a hospital, authorities said.

Health officials think both patients contracted the virus through community transmission. The county now has a total of 11 confirmed deaths from the coronavirus.

The county also reported 16 new confirmed cases, bringing its total to 418. Officials did not provide details about the new cases.

Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said the department began an investigation at Heartis Arlington after it was notified of a positive test in late March.

“Some residents were isolated, preventive and infection control measures were taken and we identified groups of people that needed to be tested, which included most of the residents and staff,” Taneja said in a written statement.

After testing, 12 positive cases were identified, including 11 residents and one staff member. People who tested positive have been self-quarantined at the facility and are being monitored by the county, officials said. No other details about the cases were released.

Denton County

Denton County health officials reported the county’s seventh coronavirus-related death Sunday.

The patient was a man in his 90s who was a resident of a nursing facility in Lewisville. Officials said that he was hospitalized and that his case was locally transmitted.

The county also reported 16 more confirmed cases in Denton County, bringing the total to 304.

“As we report the loss of a seventh life to COVID-19 in Denton County today, we hope everyone will take a moment to keep our fellow residents affected by this pandemic in your thoughts and prayers,” Denton County Judge Andy Eads said in a written statement. “The seriousness of taking precautions cannot be overstated. With community spread endemic in our county, we must take the necessary steps to ensure we do not contribute to the problem.”

The number of residents with confirmed cases at the Denton State Supported Living Center remains at 50, officials said, and the staff total has increased to 39. Of the new staff cases, eight are Denton County residents and six are out-of-county residents.

No other details about the cases were released.