Coronavirus live updates July 23: 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.
Hundreds of kids exposed to COVID-19 at Dallas-Fort Worth church camp, parents say
Hundreds of children may have been exposed to coronavirus at a church camp over the past month near Dallas-Fort Worth, according to parents of campers.
Fellowship Church in Grapevine hosted multiple Christian away camps at their retreat center, Allaso Ranch, located about 85 miles east of Dallas in Hawkins. Camps for various age groups started on June 13 and run weekly until July 24. Photos from the camp show hundreds of people gathered in tight groups and not wearing face masks.
At least three parents posted publicly on Facebook that their children tested positive for coronavirus after attending the camp in the past two weeks. One of the children was hospitalized.
Fellowship Church did not respond to requests for comment. Allaso Ranch referred the Star-Telegram to a spokesman for Fellowship Church, who did not respond to a phone call or email.
Recently, parents said children at a separate four-day camp hosted by a Keller church also tested positive for coronavirus after attending, NBC DFW reported.
After 79 days in hospital fighting COVID, Fort Worth-area woman gets ‘second chance’
COVID-19 pain first hit Paola Castillo in an area where she least expected — her kidneys.
“I thought it was my diabetes,” she said.
Six days would pass after that first pain before the 24-year-old North Richland Hills woman would be admitted to Medical City North Hills Hospital, where she would test positive for COVID-19. Another 79 days would pass before her discharge on July 15, the cheers of the health care workers who witnessed her journey ringing in the hallway.
Doctors said Castillo was near death when she was admitted and told her mother and husband that things were touch and go during her initial days of treatment.
Castillo says she is not sure how much longer it may take to finally rid herself from the ravages of the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
Castillo said from her mother’s home in Olney on Tuesday that she is receiving speech therapy to regain her voice and physical therapy to strengthen her ability to walk. Castillo was placed on a ventilator within 24 hours of being admitted, and being in bed for so long has left her in a weakened condition.
“I was intubated for so long it affected my vocal chords,” Castillo said. “I can only eat soft foods. Things have to be pureed. I was under an induced coma. I am able to walk a little bit now in a walker, but it will still take some time for me to get back to my normal self. It just depends on how much I can do for myself.”
Estimated active cases over time
Coronavirus daily active case estimates by local counties in the Dallas - Fort Worth metroplex, beginning April 8, 2020. Data provided by Texas Health and Human Services.
Daughter of Dallas woman who died of COVID invites Abbott to funeral, demands action
On her 40th birthday this past Sunday, Fiana Tulip didn’t receive a call or a card from her mom. Instead, she sat down to write a letter inviting Gov. Greg Abbott to her mother’s funeral.
Two-and-a-half weeks ago Tulip’s 64-year-old mother, Isabelle Papadimitriou, died on the Fourth of July from COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus. She was a respiratory therapist at the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation in Dallas, and was supposed to be visiting Tulip in New York in late June. Papadimitriou was especially excited to see her granddaughter Lua, who she often gushed over.
But rising cases made the trip too risky, and she had to cancel. Instead, Papadimitriou had gone in to work to help with the surge in patients. She died just a week after she first took note of her symptoms.
In the days since Papadimitriou’s sudden death, Tulip’s grief has solidified into frustration and anger.
“The more I thought about it, I go backwards from my mom’s death and I truly, truly feel that if masks had been mandated from the start that she would still be alive,” Tulip said.
So she’s invited Abbott to her mother’s memorial service to witness firsthand the grief Papadimitriou’s sudden death has left friends and family to navigate. At 2:30 p.m. Thursday at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Dallas, only Tulip’s immediate family and maybe a few close family friends are expected to attend as they wear face masks, and stay apart from other households.
Tarrant County passes 23,000 COVID-19 cases with single-day record, plus 6 new deaths
Tarrant County reported a record 871 new coronavirus cases and six more deaths, the most since six deaths were confirmed on July 8.
The previous single-day high for COVID-19 cases was 857 on July 15.
The latest deaths include four Fort Worth residents and a Grand Prairie woman in her 70s and a White Settlement woman in her 70s. The Fort Worth deaths include men in their 50s, 60s and 80s and a woman in her 70s. All six patients had underlying health conditions.
Tarrant County has confirmed a total of 23,536 COVID-19 cases, including 310 deaths and at least 11,554 recoveries.
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 County reports fewer new coronavirus cases, but deaths set a record Wednesday
Dallas County reported a stunning, single-day record 30 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday and an all-time high in hospitalizations.
Despite the bad news, new COVID-19 cases dropped again to 413, the fewest reported since 403 on June 25. Until Tuesday, the county had reported more than 1,000 new cases each day since July 3. However, health officials reported a record 831 COVID-19 hospitalizations for a 24-hour period ending Tuesday.
The county has reported a total of 43,439 coronavirus cases, including 567 deaths.
The previous high for pandemic-related deaths reported by the county was 20 on July 14 and June 30.
The latest deaths include 19 in Dallas, four in Irving, three in Mesquite and one each in Carrollton, Garland, Grand Prairie, and Richardson. Four of the patients were residents of long-term care facilities. About a third of the total COVID-19 deaths in the county have been related to long-term care facilities.
The ages of the latest deaths included a patient in her 40s, five in their 50s, nine in their 60s, 10 in their 70s, two in their 80s, and three in their 90s. Five of the 30 patients did not have underlying health issues. Two Dallas men in their 50s were found deceased at home. Neither had underlying health conditions.
Texas sees record 197 coronavirus deaths along with high in hospitalizations
Texas health officials reported a single-day record of 197 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, 23 more than the previous high set on Friday.
The state has reported 100 or more COVID-19 deaths seven times during the pandemic, all since July 9. Dallas County and Tarrant County reported 30 and six deaths. Collin and Denton Counties combined for seven deaths on Wednesday.
New COVID-19 cases increased by more than 500 from Tuesday, to 9,879. That’s the most since Saturday’s 10,158 cases. The most cases reported in a day is 10,791 on July 15.
Coronavirus hospitalizations increased for the third consecutive day to a record 10,893, up 45 patients from Tuesday.
The seven-day average for positive test rate dropped to 14.18%, according to the latest data available from health officials. The rate hit a pandemic high 17.43% on July 16.
Despite a leveling off in the growth of new cases, Gov. Greg Abbott emphasized Wednesday that the virus “is not leaving anytime soon.” South Texas has been especially hard it, and in the Gulf Coast region, there were no intensive care unit beds available Wednesday afternoon, according to DSHS data.
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.
Collin Co. reports 6 coronavirus deaths in past few days; Denton Co. reports record cases
Collin County has reported six more coronavirus deaths, each confirmed over the past several days. The county also reported 158 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, the fourth most reported in a day.
Denton County reported a record 218 COVID-19 cases and one death on Wednesday. The Denton man was in his 70s. Denton County has confirmed 5,544 coronavirus cases, including 46 deaths and 3,053 recoveries.
The latest deaths in Collin include a 48-year-old Dallas man and a 49-year-old Allen man, both of whom died at home. Others include a 62-year-old Allen man who died Monday at a McKinney hospital; a Richardson woman, 79, who died Sunday afternoon; a woman, 82, who died Sunday evening at Mustang Creek Estates assisted living facility in Allen; and an Allen woman, 91, who died Monday at Parkland Hospital in Dallas.
Collin County has confirmed 5,614 COVID-19 cases, including 72 deaths and 4,556 recoveries.
Any football season is better than no football season for Texas high schools
Depressed.
That’s how Tim Buchanan would describe his mindset the last few weeks. The idea of no high school football season this fall, even in a state such as Texas that prides itself on Friday Night Lights, seemed like a grim reality amid the coronavirus pandemic.
With the rising number of COVID-19 cases and no way to turn the sport into a socially-distanced affair, high school football could have become the next pandemic casualty.
But that’s not happening. At least not yet.
The University Interscholastic League is trying to make the best of a dire situation. No, it’s not going to please everybody. No, it’s not a one-size-fits-all formula. But, hey, any football season is better than no football season for those involved with high school athletics.
“I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think I’ve ever been more depressed than I’ve been these last few weeks,” said Buchanan, who is entering his 23rd season and has won six state championships as Aledo’s head coach.
How COVID-19 will alter Texas’ upcoming high school basketball season
The fall sports seasons aren’t the only high school programs that will look different this year due to the coronavirus. The boys and girls basketball seasons, which runs from October into March, will also be affected.
The University Interscholastic League announced on Tuesday major changes to its fall athletic schedule with modifications in football, volleyball, cross country and team tennis. The biggest takeaway was that the UIL split 6A-5A and 4A-1A onto two different tracks, and implemented a delayed start to the seasons for the two largest classifications.
But the news also affected basketball.
No tournaments or showcases will be allowed during the upcoming season and each team is allowed a maximum of 27 games.
Several featured events around the Metroplex have been canceled, including the Mansfield ISD Spring Creek Classic. The boys tourney was to have been held earlier in the season, while the girls’ event was to be held after Christmas.
Other tournaments that have been called off include the Cowtown Classic (North Crowley), Thanksgiving Hoopfest, Sandra Meadows Classic (Duncanville girls) and the boys and girls Whataburger Tournament, which has been running for the past 62 years.