We’re keeping track of the most up-to-date news about the coronavirus in the Dallas-Fort Worth metro area. Check back for updates.

Tarrant County reports fewest new coronavirus cases in 2 weeks, 2 more deaths

Tarrant County reported Monday 40 new coronavirus cases and two deaths.

That’s the fewest new COVID-19 cases in a day since April 19, when 12 were reported.

Monday totals, however, have been inconsistent and typically smaller than other days with some labs not reporting results on Sunday.

The latest deaths include a Benbrook man in his 80s and a Fort Worth man in his 60s. Both had underlying health conditions. The county has confirmed 77 pandemic-related deaths and 2,624 cases, including 651 patient recoveries.

Of the 77 COVID-19 deaths, 47 have been residents of Fort Worth and three residents of Benbrook.

Dallas County reports another single-day coronavirus high, 2nd day with over 200 cases

Dallas County reported more than 200 new coronavirus cases on Monday for the second consecutive day.

The county reported a single-day high 237 cases and three more COVID-19-related deaths.

There have been 4,370 confirmed pandemic cases and 114 deaths. The county reported 234 new cases on Sunday.

The latest deaths include an Irving man in his 60s and two Dallas men in their 80s. All three had been critically ill at hospitals.

“Today’s numbers continue an upward trend of positive cases,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a release. “Dallas County will supplement its #SaferAtHome order today to make the Governor’s recommendations for reopened services requirements in Dallas County. The local public health community is advising to limit unnecessary visits to stores or group settings and to wear your face covering when you go.”

Coronavirus cases rise in Fort Worth, yet limits are relaxed. How does that make sense?

Each day when Tarrant County releases new coronavirus data, it prompts questions and speculation, often leading to heated debates on social media: There were more new cases today than yesterday, so that must mean we’re opening too early. But we’re also testing more, so of course we’ll see more positives. Our hospitals aren’t overwhelmed, so why can’t I go to the salon?

A statement by Vinny Taneja, Tarrant County’s health department leader, on Wednesday illustrated what seems like a contradiction when he said the county has “flattened the curve” but in the same sentence added cases of novel coronavirus “are still growing.”

Doctors and public health officials aren’t looking at the headline-grabbing numbers like new cases and deaths. Instead, they’re focused on the data showing when a test was taken.

Experts agree that even though the hospitals are not overwhelmed it doesn’t mean that the coronavirus pandemic isn’t as bad as projected or that we can resume life as normal. It means that social distancing is working and we should continue to stay home.

“If we had not stayed home and stayed away from interactions that we usually do, there is a very high probability that our hospitals would have been overwhelmed,” said Bijal Balasubramanian, an epidemiologist and regional dean of the UTHealth School of Public Health in Dallas. “That was the exact reason for these restrictions. It’s a little counterintuitive to say nothing happened, because that’s what prevention is all about.”

The Star-Telegram asked four epidemiologists what they saw in the coronavirus data from Tarrant County and its public hospital.

Tarrant County coronavirus tests expand as southeast Fort Worth site opens this week

As prospective patients arrive by auto in Fort Worth’s medical district, they are handed a tissue and asked to blow their nose. Once their their nasal cavity is clear of mucus, someone wrapped in a gown inserts a swab to collect a sample that will, often four days later, reveal whether the person behind the windshield has joined a pandemic’s toll.

Novel coronavirus testing screened and scheduled by Tarrant County and executed by the University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth last week expanded evaluations beyond police officers and healthcare workers to others meeting strict criteria.

Testing locations will grow further this week when, on Tuesday, a site opens in southeast Fort Worth. With its launch, there will be a combined capacity of about 400 tests on five days a week, a Tarrant County spokesman said.

Since April 26, when the Tarrant County government began online test screening, 2,213 people have completed the screening and 698 appointments were booked. Some of those people did not show up to be tested.

Starting in the middle of last week, Tarrant County added appointments to an Arlington testing location via its screening website.

To complete the online screening and book appointments, residents should go to covidtesting.tarrantcounty.com.

Tests are free for someone evaluated at the three Tarrant County-screened sites who does not have health insurance. If such a person has health insurance, his or her carrier will be billed.

“As we begin planning for reopening, it is vitally important that we have more testing,” Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley wrote in a statement. “These testing sites are going to be critical in helping us open up the county.”

Director of Public Health Vinny Taneja wrote that the county was pleased to have the resource.

“The platform will not only help our testing facilities operate more effectively, it will also arm us with valuable information to keep our communities safe.”

Tarrant County reports 4 more coronavirus deaths, 81 new cases

Tarrant County reported 81 new cases of coronavirus and four deaths on Sunday.

In total, 2,584 people in the county have tested positive for COVID-19. Out of those, 613 have recovered so far, according to the Tarrant County Public Health Department.

The four people who died from the virus Sunday were a man in his 80s, a woman in her 90s, a woman in her 60s and a woman in her 80s. All four lived in Fort Worth and three had underlying conditions.

Seventy-five people in Tarrant County have died from the virus.

On Friday, Gov. Greg Abbott loosened restrictions across the state, allowing restaurants, movie theaters and and other businesses to reopen at a limited capacity.

Dallas County reports single-day high of new coronavirus cases, plus another death

Dallas County reported 234 new coronavirus cases on Sunday — the highest single-day number it has had since the pandemic began. One woman also died from the virus.

The county now has 4,133 cases and 111 deaths, the health department said Sunday. The woman who died was in her 70s, was a resident of Dallas and had been critically ill in a local hospital.

“Today’s numbers are the highest we have seen so far. I’m hopeful that the medical models will prove correct and we are nearing the peak,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in the health department press release.

“Much of that will be determined by the choices each one of us makes. Please avoid crowds, maintain six foot distancing and wear a cloth face covering at businesses.”

No one wants to hear they’ve been exposed to coronavirus. But that call can save lives.

Emily Hardin Ladtkow is always a little nervous when making her first call of the day.

She knows she is calling someone who has tested positive for coronavirus — and she must ask them for personal information, such as who they’ve been in contact with and what symptoms they are experiencing.

But the contract tracing work she and a slew of others are doing could be key to life shifting to whatever the new normal might be.

“Sometimes it’s nerve-wracking,” said Ladtkow, a 27-year-old student from Dallas at the UNT Health Science Center who graduates soon with a master of public health degree. “Every call is so different and unique because everyone experiences COVID so different.

“Some people are really scared or nervous and some people are completely fine. Some are lonely and just want to talk. But the longer I do it, the more I’m able to comfort people and tell them this is really important information and it helps reduce the spread and it helps the community.”

Ladtkow is one of dozens of graduate students making these phone calls for the Tarrant County Public Health Department.

This work is a key piece in Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to reopen Texas, which he said will only be successful with increased testing and contact tracing.

Contact tracing is when people with the public health department talk to everyone who has tested positive for COVID-19 and make lists of the people with whom they’ve had direct contact. Workers then track down those people down to let them know that they have been exposed and should self-quarantine for 14 days.

Thousands of Fort Worth families could qualify for coronavirus relief. Here are the details

More than 4,200 Fort Worth households struggling to pay rent or mortgages may soon find assistance through a $15.4 million city emergency fund boosted with coronavirus relief money.

Low- to moderate-income residents who have lost wages or are unemployed due to the novel coronavirus outbreak may qualify for rent, mortgage and utility assistance. Some money may also be used for services for the elderly and other employment programs, Victor Turner, director of neighborhood services, told City Council members last week. The money is a combination of about $8.2 million in previously allotted federal housing money and $7.2 million the city recently received.

Many households need this money now, but federal guidelines require council approval or public comment on the use of the funds, Turner said.

The money would be divided across multiple programs designed to provide people with housing assistance. Typically the city doles out the money to partner organizations and nonprofits that administer the applications.

Editorial: The last thing we want is to shut down Texas again. So let’s carefully enforce rules

Throughout the coronavirus crisis, the vast majority of Texans have done the right things. They’ve stayed home as much as possible. They’ve distanced from others while out. They’ve closed their nonessential businesses.

But for weeks, there’s been a nagging question: What, if anything, should be done about the few who refuse to comply, often dangerously so?

Enforcement of government orders has been done with a light touch, appropriately so. In difficult situations like this, it’s better to educate and persuade.

As we enter a crucial stage, however — the gradual opening of more businesses and the removal of formal stay-at-home orders — should a firmer hand be in place?

In some ways, yes. With more establishments operating and more people out, the risk of a major spike of COVID-19 cases is real. Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan, which took effect Friday, calls for careful measures to avoid that. If those steps aren’t followed, there won’t be a chance to take another step toward a normal economy.

Enforcing, for instance, the 25% cap on capacities at restaurants and other businesses will help bolster the message that, even if more businesses are open, it’s still best to stay out of public spaces as much as possible.

It’s time! Here’s the list of what’s open for Mother’s Day, both dine-in and take-out

Mother’s Day is for families this year, and hope and love.

Expect fewer lavish brunches. And more family meal deals.

Some restaurants will be serving Mother’s Day brunch in their social-distanced dining rooms.

But it’s also graduation weekend. So whether you’re booking brunch Saturday or Sunday, book now.

Take-out is the better deal, for two reasons:

▪ No more than six people can sit together in a restaurant,

▪ If Mom’s older than 65 or at-risk, definitely do not take her out.

Here’s a look at the early offers, with more to come (check star-telegram.com/eatsbeat for updates):

This story was originally published May 4, 2020 at 5:00 AM.