Coronavirus live updates June 16: Here’s what to know in the Dallas-Fort Worth area
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.
For Fort Worth woman, COVID-19 has been 2-month fight to breathe
Sandra Castro couldn’t sleep, kept awake by her gasps for breath and the fear her lungs weren’t going to make it to sunrise.
She lifted her iPhone to her face to call her husband at home.
He was the first person on the 35-year-old’s to-call list sometime around 2 a.m., before her father in Mexico and grandmother in Fort Worth. Sandra, who lives with several conditions including severe nerve damage on her left side, had spent her first six days in the coronavirus wing of Medical City Fort Worth in a medically induced coma, a ventilator delivering her oxygen. Now, she was pushing 36 hours of no sleep without one.
It felt as if her insides were tearing apart, as she would later describe it, with a persistent stabbing pain in her chest and dry coughing that ended with her spitting up blood. “Every time I breathed,” Sandra said, “I just thought, ‘This is my last breath.’”
On this night back in early April, she wanted to say goodbye to her husband, 36-year-old Manuel Castro, her high school sweetheart she met at age 13. He would have to tell their four children.
“I told, exactly, to him that I was going to die and for him to be strong for the kids,” Sandra said. “I fight lupus every day, and I fight asthma, and I fight epilepsy, and I have a clotting disorder that took my arm ... I couldn’t be tested no more. I was like: ‘How much more do I need to go through?’”
Two days after what Sandra thought was going to be her last night, her symptoms stabilized and she tested negative for the virus, leading staff at Medical City to send her home. But — as doctors warned her was possible — downtown Fort Worth is coming back to life
Throughout April, May and June, Sandra has been hospitalized around 10 times times at three different Fort Worth facilities. She has stayed as little as 24 hours and as long as a few days, suffering from symptoms such as seizures, nausea and dry-heaving. The common denominator has been trouble breathing.
Hospitalizations of coronavirus patients in Texas break another record Monday
Hospitalizations of patients with the novel coronavirus hit an all-time high Monday in Texas, following a week where records were broken nearly every day as figures continued to rise.
According to the Texas Department of State Health Services, 2,326 COVID-19 patients are currently hospitalized — an increase of 39 patients from the previous record of 2,287 patients Sunday.
In the last eight days, hospitalizations in Texas have broke records for seven of them, with 1,935 patients last Monday, 2,056 on Tuesday, and 2,153 patients on Wednesday. Hospitalizations dipped slightly on Thursday to 2,008 and went on to hit records with 2,166 patients Friday, 2,242 patients Saturday and 2,287 patients Sunday.
Hospitalizations have been trending upward since late May, and have increased by nearly 54% since the 1,511 patients hospitalized on Memorial Day. Before last week, the previous record for hospitalizations was on May 5, with 1,888 patients.
Hospitalizations and the rate of positive cases are two of the key metrics Gov. Greg Abbott has said he is focusing on. In interviews with local televisions across the state Monday afternoon, he reiterated that Texas’ hospital capacity remains plentiful.
COVID-19 Hospitalizations over Time
Coronavirus daily hospitalization counts in Texas and the larger Trauma Service Areas, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott has tested positive for coronavirus
Dallas Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott has tested positive for the coronavirus, a source confirmed to the Star-Telegram.
The source said Elliott took the test for COVID-19 last week and the results came back positive.
A source said the only reason Elliott took the COVID-19 test was because a friend had tested positive. Elliott, a source said, had no symptoms.
Elliott’s family all took the test for the coronavirus, and the results were negative.
Ian Rappaport of the NFL Network reported that “several” members of the Dallas Cowboys have also tested positive for the coronavirus. Elliott’s agent told Rappaport that his client feels good.
Tarrant County had biggest surge of COVID-19 pandemic last week; 164 new cases Monday
Tarrant County reported 164 new coronavirus cases on Monday, a day after dropping down to 81 new cases on Sunday.
The county reported no COVID-19 deaths Monday. There have been a total of 7,498 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 197 deaths and at least 3,170 recoveries in the county.
According to data compiled by Tarrant County health officials, a record 1,188 coronavirus cases were confirmed for the week that began June 7. Typically, totals fluctuate during a week as more cases are added or revised for a particular date. The 1,188 cases is the most of the pandemic for Tarrant County, eclipsing 1,118 for the week that began May 3.
Only two other weeks during the pandemic have included at least 700 new cases — 706 for the week beginning on April 19 and 735 for the week beginning on May 10.
Dallas County reports more than 300 new coronavirus cases for 6th consecutive day
Dallas County reported more than 300 new coronavirus cases for the sixth consecutive day on Monday.
The 305 new cases brings the county’s total to 14,537 COVID-19 cases, including 285 deaths.
One additional death was reported Monday, a Dallas man in his 60s who had no underlying conditions, according to health officials.
The county has reported at least 228 new coronavirus cases each day in June and at least 200 for 18 consecutive days, the longest such stretch of the pandemic.
Updated hospitalization data for the weekend had yet to be reported Monday. The county has seen a recent spike in hospitalizations for COVID-19, which is a leading measurement to determine the severity of the pandemic by health officials.
“Think of hospitalizations as that part of the iceberg you can see that is above the water,” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a release. “Below the water are all of the people who are sick who are not yet in the hospital. The iceberg below the water is obviously far greater than the iceberg above it and a small increase in hospitalizations indicates a larger increase in illness.”
COVID-19 cases over time
Coronavirus daily case counts over time by local counties in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex. Tap the arrow button to replay the animation. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services and local counties.
What downtown parking revenue tells us about the Fort Worth economy and COVID-19
If parking revenues are an indication, violently shoved an employee down after a nearly three-month decline caused by the COVID shutdown.
Revenue from city parking meters nose-dived in March and April after state and local officials ordered businesses closed to prevent spread of the coronavirus. But by May, as businesses gradually began to reopen under Gov. Greg Abbott’s direction, all that pocket change was once again flowing into the meters.
Parking downtown costs 50 cents to $1.50 per hour, depending upon which meter a visitor uses. But all those coins — or, these days, credit card swipes at the city’s electronic meters — can really add up.
For the first five months of 2020, Fort Worth received a total of $563,892.50 from its parking meters. That’s about 60% of the $932,909.84 the city received from meters in January-May 2019.
Most of the city’s parking meter revenue is from curbside parking spots downtown, although there are meters in other areas, including the city’s Near Southside and West 7th areas.
“We’re seeing more people on the sidewalks, and more cars on the streets,” said Andy Taft, president of Downtown Fort Worth Inc. “I’ve checked in with big property owners to ask how their garages are doing as a proxy for the downtown work force returning, and it’s been going up steadily for the last couple of weeks.”
MLB commissioner reverses course, threatens possibility of no baseball season in 2020
Four days after guaranteeing there would be a 2020 MLB season, commissioner Rob Manfred walked back those comments Monday and opened the door to there being no season at all.
The reason? There’s likely more than one, but owners reportedly told players they would have to waive any legal claims against MLB, in particular any grievances accusing the league of violating their March agreement, before a season can begin.
Owners included that in a letter to the MLB Players Association, which on Saturday said it was finished with stalled negotiations and was prepared for Manfred to create a schedule.
The players would take their full pro-rated salaries at likely no more than 48-54 games rather than the same amount of pay over 72 games and with the risk of not receiving a potential postseason pool.
The players union has long contended that the owners agreed to pay full pro-rated salaries, something the owners dispute.
Manfred has the right to schedule as many games a possible as part of a March 26 agreement in which players agreed to pro rata. The prevailing thought is he would schedule a shortened season to ensure that the postseason would be played in its entirety before a potential second wave of the coronavirus.
Free drive-thru coronavirus testing available in Weatherford for Parker County residents
Parker County is hosting a free drive-thru coronavirus testing site in Weatherford on Tuesday and Wednesday.
The testing site will operate from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Heritage Park in the First Monday Trade Days parking lot, located at 317 Santa Fe Drive.
Residents must register by calling 512-883-2400 or visiting txcovidtest.org.
To be eligible, you must have COVID-19 symptoms, including but not limited to at least one of the following: fever, cough, fatigue, body aches, shortness of breath, sore throat, headache, or loss of taste or smell.
Customer violently shoves employee over mask policy in Dallas-area business, police say
A customer upset that he was required to wear a mask in a business hosts a few commencement ceremonies. and then fled, as shown on security-camera video, Cedar Hill police said.
Cedar Hill police have asked for help to identify the suspect.
The incident occurred shortly before 10 a.m. on June 6 at My Eyelab, an optician’s office at 400 N. Texas 67 in Cedar Hill, which is about 15 miles southwest of Dallas.
At My Eyelab, a policy requires patrons to wear a mask because of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Dallas County as of Sunday, total coronavirus deaths rose to 284 and total infections to 14,232, according to Dallas County health officials.
A man without a mask walked into the business and he was asked to wait outside, where an employee would assist him, Cedar Hill police.
The man refused and used offensive language at employees, police said.
Crowley 2020 graduates light up the big screen at Coyote Drive-In Movie Theater
Blockbuster movies such as Harry Potter, Shrek and Jurassic Park can be seen at Coyote Drive-In Theater this week, but for a few nights high school graduates will also grace the big screen as the Panther Island landmark hosts a few commencement ceremonies.
The ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced high schools across the state to find outdoor locations for those looking to hold in-person graduations, and the Crowley Independent School District was able to move its ceremonies to the nine-year-old movie theater. Crowley High School was the latest to celebrate the Class of 2020 Sunday night.
“I was upset in the beginning when I found out they were having it there, but it turned out awesome. It’s very nice and way better than we thought,” said Lisa Miller, who was watching her son Kevin.
“The kids just wanted [an in-person graduation] to happen,” said Dennis Miller, whose son Kevin was Crowley’s starting quarterback.
Family and friends were parked in front of the venue’s four big screens where graduates were seen walking across the stage, which was set up under the drive-in’s patio.