Dallas County confirms 11 more coronavirus cases, including teen, one in critical care
Dallas County confirmed 11 additional cases of the coronavirus, including a teenager and a patient in a critical care unit. It brings the total confirmed cases in the county to 39.
Besides the teen, whose gender wasn’t released, other new cases include a woman in her 20s, a man and a woman in their 30s, a man in his 40s, three men and two women in their 50s, and one man in his 70s. Three of the new patients are close contacts of a previously-confirmed COVID-19 case. No source or travel risk factor has been identified for five of the new cases, which are “indicative of community transmission,” according to a Dallas County news release.
Dallas County announced nine new cases on Tuesday.
Three of the 11 news cases included hospitalization. Eight are self-isolating at home. Seven of the news cases are residents of Dallas. Others live in Coppell, Irving, Mesquite and Richardson. Dallas County reports that one of the people recently traveled out of state and two recently traveled internationally.
“We will get through this North Texas by following the science and exercising personal responsibility. You should limit unnecessary trips beyond work and necessities like food and medical care. Every interaction in this outbreak carries some risk of spread. This doesn’t mean you can’t go for walks or runs outside; however, you should maintain six feet social distancing,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in the release.
Public laboratories are no longer required to send “presumptive positive” samples to the CDC for confirmation. Respiratory samples positive for COVID-19 in a public health laboratory will be considered “positive” with no need for further testing.
