First death from coronavirus in Dallas County along with 19 new COVID-19 cases; Tarrant Co. with 10 new cases
DALLAS - Officials reported the first death from coronavirus in Dallas County on Thursday along with 19 other new positive COVID-19 cases. Also, Tarrant County more than doubled its confirmed cases, going from 9 to 19.
The man who died was in his 60s and lived in Richardson. He was found dead in his home and didn’t have any high-risk conditions, officials said. His death from coronavirus was identified by the Dallas County Medical Examiner's office.
The other new cases include: six men and two women in their 30’s, two men and two women in their 50’s, two men and three women in their 60’s, one woman in her 70’s and one woman in her 90’s. Twelve of the patients are from Dallas, three from Garland, two from Mesquite and one each are from Cedar Hill and Farmers Branch.
Of those 19 cases, three are hospitalized and one of those patients is in critical care. The other 16 are self-isolating at their homes.
“Things will get worse before they get better. How bad this gets is directly tied to how well each of you follow the CDC guidelines and exercise smart personal responsibility,” said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in a statement.
There were also several more apparent cases of community spread, officials said, with six of the 19 cases having no connection to domestic or international travel.
RELATED: Coronavirus coverage
Tarrant County reported 10 new cases on Thursday, a significant spike in the county's numbers. The new cases are people from Arlington, Colleyville, Fort Worth, North Richland Hills, Mansfield and Watauga.
Tarrant County officials said investigations into all of the cases are underway, but some were travel-related. The county declined to give the ages or gender of the patients.
Collin County reported five new cases, with four having underlying conditions and one with none health officials said.
The new cases are: a 37-year-old woman in McKinney, a 42-year-old woman in Plano, a 46-year-old Allen man, a 57-year-old Richardson man and a 58-year-old Melissa man. The Allen man is hospitalized, while the others are at home isolation. The Melissa man tested positive while traveling out of state and he will be in isolation there until he is cleared to travel back to North Texas.
Denton County reported four new cases, with one to be from community spread and three others travel-related.
The four cases are: a female resident of Lewisville in her 50s, a male resident of Frisco in his 40s, a female resident of Lewisville in her 20s and a male resident of Denton in his 60s. The Lewisville woman is hospitalized while the three others are in isolation at their homes.
Dallas County now has 55 confirmed cases of coronavirus. Tarrant County has 19, Collin County has 16 and Denton County has nine.
Coronavirus health tips
While COVID-19 is a new respiratory virus, daily precautions recommended to prevent respiratory illnesses are the same:
• Wash hands frequently with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. Use hand sanitizer when you can't wash your hands.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.
• Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue and throw the tissue away. If you don’t have a tissue, use the elbow of your sleeve. Don’t use your hands to cover coughs and sneezes.
RELATED: Coronavirus FAQ: Here’s what you need to know about the COVID-19 outbreak
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick and keep children home when they are sick.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
• Get a flu shot. (Although the flu shot does not protect against COVID-19, it is flu season.)
RELATED LINKS:
Track Texas coronavirus cases by county with this interactive map
Dallas County announces stricter social restrictions, temporarily halts evictions
Plano man, 64, dies from COVID-19 coronavirus; city announces new restrictions
Arlington senior citizen becomes first coronavirus-related death in North Texas