Dallas County Health and Human Services (DCHHS) provided more than 500,000 total doses of COVID-19 vaccine at the Fair Park mega-vaccine clinic, which operated from January 11 through July 17. A vaccination clinic is open at the Dallas College Eastfield Campus Location on Thursdays – Saturdays from 9 am-6 pm. A weekly pop-up vaccination clinic will also take place at Fair Park on Tuesdays from 12:30 pm-6 pm and on Sundays, from 10 am – 4 pm.

The additional deaths being reported today include the following:

• A woman in her 40s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Mesquite. She expired at the facility and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 50s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 50s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 70s who was a resident of the City of Desoto. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A woman in her 70s who was a resident of the City of Irving. She expired in hospice and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
• A man in his 70s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.

To date, a total of 1,658 cases with SARS-CoV-2 variants have been identified and investigated in residents of Dallas County, including 162 cases of B.1.1.7 (Alpha); 4 cases of B.1.351 (Beta); 1,2670 cases of B.1.617.2 (Delta); 14 cases of B.1.427 (Epsilon);  20 cases of P.1 (Gamma);  9 cases of B.1.526 (Iota); 4 cases of C.37 (Lambda); 2 cases of B.1.621 (Mu); 172 cases of B.1.1.529 (Omicron); and 1 case of P.2 (Zeta). Three hundred and five cases have been hospitalized and 44 have died. Twenty-five COVID-19 variant cases were reinfections. Four hundred and thirty-eight people were considered fully vaccinated before infection with a COVID-19 variant. As of 3/4/2022, a total of 808 confirmed and probable cases were reported in CDC week 8 (week ending 2/26/22), which is a weekly rate of 30.7 new cases per 100,000 residents.

As of the week ending 2/26/2022, about 80% of Dallas County residents age 12 years and older have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine, including 98% of residents age 65 years and older; 86% of residents between 40-64 years of age; 77% of residents 25-39 years of age; 66% of residents 18-24 years of age; and 61% of residents 12-17 years of age.  In the cities of Addison, Coppell, Highland Park, Irving, and Sunnyvale, greater than 92% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.  In the cities of Cedar Hill, Desoto, Farmers Branch, Garland, Lancaster, and University Park, greater than 80% of residents 18 years of age and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. (See below). About 55.7% of COVID-19 cases diagnosed in Week 8 were Dallas County residents who were not fully vaccinated. In Dallas County, 35,606 cases of COVID-19 breakthrough COVID-19 infections in fully vaccinated individuals have been confirmed to date, of which 3,406 (9.6%) were hospitalized and 559 have died due to COVID-19.

Of all Dallas County residents tested for COVID-19 by PCR during the week ending 2/26/2022 (CDC week 8), 5.4% of respiratory specimens tested positive for SARS-CoV-2. For week 8, area hospital labs have continued to report elevated numbers and proportions of respiratory specimens that are positive for other respiratory viruses by molecular tests: parainfluenza (2.74%), rhinovirus/enterovirus (35.62%), and RSV (2.46%).

There are currently 63 active long-term care facility outbreaks. A cumulative total of 6,378 residents and 4,270 healthcare workers in long-term facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. Of these, 1,305 have been hospitalized and 882 have died. About 16% of all deaths reported to date have been associated with long-term care facilities.

There have been 11 outbreaks of COVID-19 in a congregate-living facility (e.g. homeless shelters, group homes, and halfway homes) reported within the past 30 days. A cumulative total of 840 residents and 295 staff members in congregate-living facilities in Dallas have been diagnosed with COVID-19. New cases are being reported as a daily aggregate, with more detailed data dashboards and summary reports updated on Friday evenings, available at: https://www.dallascounty.org/departments/dchhs/2019-novel-coronavirus/daily-updates.php.

Local health experts use hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and ER visits as three of the key indicators as part of determining the COVID-19 Risk Level (color-coded risk) and corresponding guidelines for activities during our COVID-19 response. The most recent COVID-19 hospitalization data for Dallas County, as reported to the North Central Texas Trauma Regional Advisory Council, can be found at www.dallascounty.org/covid-19 under “Monitoring Data,” and is updated regularly. This data includes information on the total available ICU beds, suspected and confirmed COVID-19 ER visits in the last 24 hours, confirmed COVID-19 inpatients, and COVID-19 deaths by actual date of death. The most recent forecasting from UTSW can be found here.

“Today we reached a grim milestone of more than 6,000 dead in Dallas County from COVID-19. Every life is precious and every death is an irreplaceable loss to those left behind. Death from COVID at this point is largely preventable. 95% of the people who were hospitalized and died of COVID were unvaccinated. Vaccinated and boosted people are statistically protected from death from COVID. Don’t have an unfortunate death and leave your family with an irreplaceable loss and don’t let people you love have an unfortunate death either. Find a vaccine or a booster near you at vaccines.gov,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins.

All Dallas County COVID-19 Updates and Information can be found here: https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/ and all guidance documents can be found here: https://www.dallascounty.org/covid-19/guidance-health.php
Specific Guidance for the Public:

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends taking everyday preventive actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory diseases, including:

• Avoid close contact outside your home: Put 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household.
• Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others and continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.
• Stay home when you are sick, except to seek medical care
• Wash your hands often and with soap and water for at least 20 seconds and help young children to do the same. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
  Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces daily using a regular household cleaning spray or wipes.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash. If you do not have a tissue, use your sleeve, not your hands. Immediately wash your hands.
• Monitor your health daily. Be alert for symptoms. Take your temperature and follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.

Additional information is available at the following websites:

[ad_2]

Originally Appeared Here