City of Dallas COVID-19 Update: May 13
Friend — Below are the latest updates from the City of Dallas on our response to COVID-19, including information about the federal government’s extension of support for the COVID-19 community-based testing sites and information about new mobile testing for Dallas residents who lack access to transportation. Confirmed Positive Cases of COVID-19 in North Texas 6,602 in Dallas County (243 are new) & 153 deaths (recovery numbers unknown) 4,076 in Tarrant County (266* are new) & 114 deaths (821 recovered) 989 in Denton County (21 are new) & 25 deaths (534 recovered) 978 in Collin County (15 are new) & 30 deaths (638 recovered) 244 in Ellis County & 11 deaths (168 recovered) 132 in Kaufman County & 1 death (100 recovered) 131 in Rockwall County & 5 deaths (75 recovered) *New cases reported include 153 from a federal prison outbreak. Hospital Reports Here are the bed and ventilator capacity statistics for today as reported by 25 hospitals in the City of Dallas: Total beds: 5,713 Beds occupied: 3,581 (63%) Total ICU beds: 827 ICU beds occupied: 542 (66%) Total ventilators: 948 Ventilators in use: 324 (34%) COVID-19 Lab Reports Below are the COVID-19 testing numbers reported by public, private, and commercial labs to the City of Dallas today: 606 COVID-19 tests 30 positive 553 negative Testing numbers from labs to date Total tests to date by public, private, and commercial labs* 32,031 Total tests to date by Dallas County Health and Human Services 3,269 Total tests to date private labs* 28,762 Total negative tests to date* 26,838 *Numbers since March 13, 2020, the date the order requiring public and private labs in Dallas to report their COVID-19 tests went into effect. Note: these numbers DO NOT include the community-based testing site numbers since those tests are conducted in a lab not in the City of Dallas. COVID-19 Dashboard The City of Dallas has created a COVID-19 Dashboard containing data that is updated daily on COVID-19 cases, ventilator and bed capacity, lab tests, demographic information, and other critical data. Check it out by clicking on the image below. Community-Based Testing Sites The United States Department of Health and Human Services notified the City of Dallas today that they will be extending support of the two COVID-19 Community-Based Testing Sites (CBTS) through June. The support was originally set to end on May 31, 2020, but I worked with our partners to push for this extension, and it was great news to hear it was granted today. New Mobile Testing Program More good news on testing: The Dallas City Council unanimously approved a contract for mobile testing today. This service will provide equity in the fight against this pandemic by ensuring testing access for vulnerable and underserved people who lack transportation to the COVID-19 testing sites. While this disease has pushed people away from each other physically, it should not tear people apart and deepen the divide in Dallas between the haves and have-nots. The City will pay for the contract with UrgentCare2Go using $660,000 of funds provided by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. The mobile testing is set to launch Friday, May 15. To be eligible for COVID-19 Mobile Testing, residents must: • Reside in one the following ZIP codes: 75215, 75216, 75217 or 75227. • And NOT have transportation and NOT have the means to get to a testing site. Additionally, residents must have had recent direct contact with a person diagnosed with COVID-19 or at least one of the three symptoms listed below: • Temperature of 99.6 or higher • Cough • Shortness of breath Residents undergoing mobile testing should understand this service is for COVID-19 testing only and not for medical or life-threatening medical emergencies. Stay tuned for more information. COVID-19 Health and Healthcare Access Czar In case you missed it: yesterday, I named Dr. Kelvin Baggett the City of Dallas COVID-19 Health and Healthcare Access Czar. In his role, Dr. Baggett, a seasoned healthcare executive and physician, will assess and lead efforts to increase testing and contact tracing and promote health measures, especially in underserved communities in Dallas. You can watch the press conference by clicking on the image below. Read more about Dr. Baggett and his new role in this newsletter and in news stories from the following outlets: WBAP, NBC5, The Dallas Morning News, FOX 4, and CBS 11. Generosity in a time of need On Thursday, The Aga Khan Council for Central United States, a social governance body of the Ismaili Muslim community, will donate 10,000 surgical masks, 10,000 pairs of gloves, and 1,000 bottles of hand sanitizer to the City of Dallas. Those donations will be distributed to City of Dallas first responders and front-line workers. And immediately afterward, SMU quarterback Shane Buechele and Paige Vasquez, who works for the Dallas Mavericks organization, will drop off a check for $50,000 in funds they raised for the Dallas Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund, which is sponsored by The Dallas Foundation. Click here to donate to that fund. Those donations come after Goldman Sachs recently announced that the company is donating $110,000 to the Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund, which will help the city’s COVID-19 relief efforts. You can read more about the donation here. These donations demonstrate the generosity and strength of the Dallas community in times of crisis. Thank You Thursday Just a reminder to participate in #ThankYouThursday tomorrow to show appreciation for frontline workers. Learn more and let us know you plan to participate by clicking on the image below. Updates from Dallas County Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 243 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 6,602, with 153 total deaths to date. Of cases requiring hospitalization who reported employment, about 79% have been critical infrastructure workers, with a broad range of affected occupational sectors, including: healthcare, transportation, food and agriculture, public works, finance, communications, clergy, first responders and other essential functions. Of cases requiring hospitalization, two-thirds have been under 65 years of age, and about half do not have high-risk chronic health conditions. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Of the 153 total deaths reported to date, over a third have been associated with long-term care facilities. Please see the latest summary report for more information (updated TODAY). The report contains race/ethnicity information on the confirmed tests and deaths and important information comparing influenza ICU admissions and hospitalizations and COVID-19 ICU admissions and hospitalizations. Dallas County updates the summary report on Tuesdays and Fridays. Updates from Collin County There are 15 new cases (net) of COVID-19 in Collin County today, as of 3:30 p.m. There are 310 current cases of COVID-19 in Collin County (total cases minus recovered and deceased). There have been 978 total confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Collin County. 668 people have successfully recovered; 20 are hospitalized; 290 remain in home isolation. There have been 30 confirmed deaths associated with COVID-19 in Collin County. There have been 11,674 negative COVID-19 tests in Collin County. There are 1,634 Persons Under Monitoring (PUM) in Collin County. Updates from Denton County Denton County Public Health (DCPH) has announced 21 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County. This increases the cumulative, countywide total to 989 confirmed COVID-19 cases. DCPH is also reporting 11 newly recovered cases of COVID-19. DCPH is providing a free drive-thru COVID-19 testing center in the Little Elm-Aubrey area on Friday, May 15, 2020. Community members must call to pre-register for testing at 940-349-2585. The testing center will be held at Braswell High School at 26750 E University Drive in Aubrey from 8 AM – 12 PM. Eligibility includes all essential workers, as well as any community member who currently has symptoms of COVID-19, or has been symptomatic within the past 7 days. Additional details regarding DCPH’s drive-thru COVID-19 testing centers can be found at DentonCounty.gov/COVID19testing. Visit DentonCounty.gov/COVIDstats for local COVID-19 data including interactive heat maps, charts, and city and zip code data. Visit DentonCounty.gov/COVID19 for COVID-19 health and safety information. Updates from the State Governor Greg Abbott has issued a proclamation extending his Disaster Declaration for all Texas counties in response to COVID-19. Originally issued on March 13 and extended on April 12, the Disaster Declaration provides the state a number of resources to effectively serve Texans as the Lone Star State continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. For more details, please visit Governor Abbott’s website. The Texas Health and Human Services Commission has announced the launch of a statewide pilot program allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to purchase groceries online at participating retailers for curbside pickup or delivery starting Wednesday. Check here for more details about the program. Barber shops and salons were able to reopen Friday in Texas under the governor’s executive orders. Other businesses are able to reopen on May 18. Read the executive orders here. North Texas Food Bank Mobile Pantry The North Texas Food Bank Mobile Pantry returns to Fair Park this Thursday, May 14 from 9 a.m. to noon, or until all available food has been dispersed. The pick-up area will be in a new location in Lots 15 and 16. Participants should enter through Gate 2 only, located at the intersection of Parry Avenue and Haskell Avenue, and follow directional signage to the pick-up area. In order to practice strict social distancing, the Mobile Pantry serves drive-through clients only and is unable to accommodate walk-up clients. Individuals requiring food assistance who cannot access a car should use the “Find Food” tool on www.ntfb.org to find additional resources. Walmart Drive-Thru Testing Site A new drive-thru testing site has opened in the Walmart parking lot located at 9410 Webb Chapel Rd. in North West Dallas. Appointments must be made at www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com, which will screen individuals to ensure they meet CDC eligibility for testing. For questions regarding testing, you can call 800-635-8611. Those being tested will need to wear a mask or cloth covering and stay in their cars for verification of eligibility criteria, ID check, and self-administered test. The site will use a self-administered nasal swab test that will allow those being tested to swab their own nose onsite while in their vehicles. Please note: testing is not available inside Walmart stores. For more information, please check out the article about the site by clicking on the image below. Kroger Health Testing Site Kroger Health is now offering a free COVID-19 testing site in South Dallas and expects to perform over 1,000 tests weekly. Residents can check if they are eligible for testing and register at https://www.krogerhealth.com/covidtesting. Eligible residents will be able to choose an appointment time online and will then receive an email confirmation. When the resident arrives for their test, they should have their photo ID ready and should leave their window rolled up for check-in until a health care practitioner comes to the car to provide the patient with the test. For more information, please see the press release in English and Spanish and click on the image below. Walgreens Testing Site Walgreens opened a drive-thru testing site in southern Dallas at 2060 South Buckner Boulevard. Pre-registration is required to get tested at this location. To receive a test, individuals must first complete an online health assessment to determine eligibility. After the test, patients will be informed of results within 24 hours. To find out more information and to sign up to get tested, click on the image below. COVID-19 Resource Hotline The City of Dallas has launched a COVID-19 resource hotline. The hotline offers information in Spanish and English 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number is 214-670-INFO (4636). You can also find a breakdown of additional resources by clicking on the image below. Dallas Regional Chamber Resources The Dallas Regional Chamber has set up a site for additional resources for residents and businesses, including information on various state and federal programs. Check out their resource guide here and their site to connect displaced workers to employment opportunities during the pandemic by clicking on the image below. United Way Resource Guides United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has put together a list of resources available to Dallas area residents in English and Spanish. Resources include the North Texas Food Bank’s open food pantries, tax filing information, and job opportunities. Senior Source Resources This is the link to the Senior Source’s COVID-19 resource guide. The guide includes information for seniors, including information on specific grocery store hours dedicated to seniors, and guidance for those who are caring for seniors during the pandemic. If you have more questions about COVID-19, including what you should do if you believe you might have the virus, check out the City’s web page, www.DallasCityHall.com/coronavirus. Please share this update. The official page to sign up to receive this newsletter is here. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reply to this email or call (214) 670-3301. Sincerely, Office of Mayor Eric Johnson 1500 Marilla Street, 5EN Dallas, Texas 75201 |
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