Coronavirus live updates Aug. 4: 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.
Worried about COVID-19 at the dentist? Dental workers say offices are even safer now
Gov. Gregg Abbott halted all elective surgeries and non-emergency procedures in late March to mitigate the spread of the novel coronavirus.
The governor issued another executive order restricting elective procedures in late June, but instead of the broader order from March that applied to all “licensed health care facilities,” that one specifically targeted hospitals.
Dental clinics throughout the state shuttered for about a month, remaining open for emergencies only.
Most dental clinics in Texas have reopened by now and dental care workers say it’s safe to go back to the dentist because of all the safety measures their clinics have put in place. Some even say these increased precautions have made now their clinics much more sterile.
Brittany Wragg is a dental hygienist at Drennan Family Dentistry in Fort Worth and her uniform nowadays consists of a lot of garments.
When she’s at work, she wears two masks, two lab coats, special protective goggles and a full-face shield. In between patients, she also switches out one of the masks and one of the lab coats each time.
The clinic has patients wait in their cars before their appointment and each patient has their temperature taken right before entering the building. Plexiglas barriers have been put in place and everything is constantly being wiped down.
Keller school district will reopen after 1 week delay, board votes at emergency meeting
Keller school board officials unanimously voted Monday to delay the reopening of schools for a week and let parents choose whether to send their kids back to school for in-person learning or to enroll in virtual learning due to COVID-19.
The school board made the decision after a three-hour-long emergency meeting at the Education Center in Keller. The school year, which was set to start on Aug. 19, will now begin on Aug. 26. The first three days — Aug. 26-28 — will have early dismissal.
During the public comment section of the meeting, about 40 parents, teachers and community members spoke passionately about whether the school district should mandate in-person or remote learning. Keller officials announced last week that school would begin Aug. 19 and families could choose whether to attend classes in person or remotely.
Most teachers who spoke at the meeting implored board members to delay in-person learning, while the majority of parents asked the board to let their kids return to school as soon as possible — although there were outliers on both sides.
Trustee Cindy Lotton emphasized she wants to give parents a choice of whether to let their kids learn online or in person. Trustee Beverly Dixon said she received and analyzed 318 emails to make her decision.
Trustee Craig Allen said while he feels they are ready to open, he reminded parents who “are demanding we open and demanding teachers do this for you” to take their share of responsibility and make sure their kids wear masks and follow safety procedures.
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.
COVID hasn’t hit these 4 Texas counties, where ‘social distancing is kind of the norm’
Whether it’s fashion trends or fresh groceries or airborne disease, things traditionally take longer to reach Borden County, if they make it at all. It’s located in the middle of a triangle formed by Abilene, Midland and Lubbock, all of which are between 70 and 100 miles away. The county seat, Gail, is a no-Walmart, no-Dairy Queen, no-bank town.
And it has also been, for the last five months and counting, a no-coronavirus town. Borden County has zero confirmed cases among its residents, as of Aug. 3. “We’ve been very fortunate, very blessed,” County Judge Ross Sharp said. “I guess that’s what comes when you’re one of the smallest counties in the state as far as population goes. Maybe you can enjoy this a little longer.”
As August begins, Borden is joined by Loving, Sterling and King counties as coronavirus-free. They’re all in West Texas and, with populations of fewer than 1,300, have managed to avoid the diagnoses that even comparably small Texas counties have sustained. On April 15, 70 Texas counties had zero confirmed cases, and on June 1 the number was still 23. Now, 250 out of 254 counties have at least one resident who has officially been infected with the virus.
Diana Cervantes, a professor of biostatistics and epidemiology at University of North Texas Health Science Center, has assisted rural areas with public health initiatives. She said places like Loving, Sterling, Borden and King counties are essentially closed populations where interaction with outsiders is limited. “If you’re talking about such a small group of people that tend to usually keep to themselves and be in tight-knit groups how are you going to have that virus transmitted?”
Sharp put it this way: “We’ve got 900 square miles of county and we’ve got about 640 people, so social distancing is kind of the norm around here.”
Tarrant County reports 303 COVID-19 cases, lowest hospital occupancy rate since June
Tarrant County reported 303 new coronavirus cases and no deaths on Monday.
Tarrant County health officials warned on the county’s online COVID-19 dashboard that there is a delay in lab data because of Texas Department of State Health Services’ system maintenance. “Therefore new cases for today may be underreported,” the message said.
Updated case counts will be provided once the data is available.
Tarrant County officials reported three COVID-19 deaths on Sunday, all men in their 70s. Two were residents of Fort Worth and one was a resident of Forest Hill. All three had underlying health conditions.
Tarrant County has confirmed a total of 29,357 COVID-19 cases, including 391 deaths and an estimated 16,882 recoveries.
The occupancy rate at county hospitals was at 65% on Sunday, the lowest since June 21. Of all hospital beds in Tarrant County, 10% were in use by COVID-19 patients, the lowest rate since July 8.
Judge says COVID measures working as Dallas County sees fewest new cases since June 16
Dallas County reported 382 new COVID-19 cases and three deaths on Monday.
The new cases are the fewest since 306 on June 16.
Dallas County has confirmed a total of 51,490 cases, including 691 deaths. The county is not reporting recoveries.
The latest deaths include a Mesquite woman in her 60s, a Dallas man in his 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility, and an Irving man in his 80s. All three had underlying health issues.
The decrease in new cases is proof that the face mask order by Gov. Greg Abbott on July 2 has been slowing the spread of the disease, Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a news release.
“Today’s number … is growing evidence that masking, maintaining a six-foot distance and avoiding unnecessary trips outside the home for anything but work or exercise is working,” Jenkins said. “We need to continue our community resolve to get the coronavirus under control so that less people get sick, more business stay open and our kids can get back to school sooner rather than later.”
After months of decline, Texas’ July sales tax revenue is up 4.3% compared to last year
After months of decline, Texas’ sales tax revenue totaled $2.98 billion in July — a 4.3% increase from the previous year — Comptroller Glenn Hegar announced Monday.
The increase was fueled by a surge in collections from the retail trade sector, leading to collections that “were better than expected, increasing despite the high unemployment due to the pandemic,” Hegar, the state’s chief financial officer, said in a statement.
Online sales, food and beverage purchases and sporting good stores were among the areas that saw increased collections. Other major sectors, like mining, construction, services and restaurants still showed significant declines, Hegar said.
For instance, the state collected $187 million from the state’s oil production tax — down 40% from July 2019 — and $34 million from the hotel occupancy tax — down 42% from July 2019.
The majority of July sales tax revenue is based on sales made in June, when social distancing measures were more relaxed throughout the state.
This story was originally published August 4, 2020 at 11:16 AM.