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 many COVID-19 patients, including Texas woman, the road to recovery can be long

It’s been nearly two months since Lorenza Rodriguez tested positive for COVID-19, but her symptoms have not gone away.

The 48-year-old homemaker in southeast Arlington tested positive for COVID-19 on July 17. By that time, she had lost her sense of smell and was experiencing severe body aches, fatigue and gastrointestinal problems.

Two of her children, who also contracted the virus, experienced similar symptoms but in a few weeks they were back at work and feeling healthy for the most part.

Rodriguez, on the other hand, has not recovered her sense of smell and continues to struggle with chronic fatigue and brain fog.

“I don’t know why but when I’m praying, I start to count for no reason. It’s very strange because I don’t even notice when I start counting,” she said in Spanish. “I worry that my mind is still not doing well.”

For many COVID-19 patients, the road to recovery can be long. Doctors and researchers have found that a growing number of people’s symptoms can stretch for months, while others are left with serious lasting organ damage and debilitating ailments.

Arlington family recovered from brush with COVID-19. But some fears, symptoms remain.

A few days after testing positive for novel coronavirus, Lorenza Rodriguez thought she was dying.

The 48-year-old Arlington resident was having a hard time breathing one July evening, as she sequestered herself from her husband and her five children who live with them. As she panicked, she urged her two youngest daughters to keep their distance.

“I felt depressed,” she said in Spanish, “Mostly because my children wanted to hug me, but they couldn’t.”

Rodriguez and two of her children are among thousands in Arlington who have recovered from COVID-19. For 40 days, the family did not leave the house for anything except sunlight and gardening. Even after their quarantine, Rodriguez, who is diabetic, still avoids outings whenever possible.

“I feel scared that I could get infected again,” she said, or scared other family members may become infected.

Living in the most affected part of the city, Rodriguez has seen several neighbors contract COVID-19 as well. Her ZIP code, 76010, accounted for over a fifth of the 7,827 cases reported in Arlington, as well as 16 of its 100 deaths as of Sept. 8, according to the city website.

Why COVID-19 misinformation spread faster than pandemic in early March

In early March, when the true scope of the coronavirus pandemic was still widely unknown to the public, misinformation was rampant on social media such as Facebook and Twitter.

A recent study examined two early pandemic myths. Researchers from three universities, including Joseph McGlynn, an assistant professor at the University of North Texas’ Department of Communication Studies, studied how long it took before the myths were sufficiently debunked on the same social platform. In this case, Twitter.

McGlynn, along with researchers from the University of Texas and the University of Kentucky, examined two types of coronavirus myths: a diagnosis myth and a treatment myth.

The diagnosis myth asserted that if you could hold your breath for 10 seconds it was evidence you did not have COVID-19. The treatment myth asserted that an infected person could cure themselves of the coronavirus by gargling a hot liquid or bleach.

Tweets pushing both bogus ideas started ramping up on March 7, McGlynn said.

“They basically got off to a head start that gave misinformation momentum,” McGlynn said. “It was a full week before the total amount of debunking responses matched the disinformation tweets. That delay in response allowed misinformation to circulate and spread.”

Tarrant County COVID-19 hospitalizations remain lower in September but still elevated

Tarrant County reported 314 coronavirus cases and two deaths on Sunday.

The latest deaths include an Arlington man in his 50s and a Fort Worth man in his 80s. Both had underlying health conditions, according to officials.

Since Sept. 1, occupied hospital beds in the county used by COVID-19 patients has remained at 6-7%. That percentage peaked on July 23 at 20%. It was last under 6% on June 11.

Tarrant County has reported a total of 44,454 COVID-19 cases, including 605 deaths and an estimated 39,380 recoveries.

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.

Steve Wilson swilson@star-telegram.com

Dallas County surpasses 75,000 COVID-19 cases, reports 3 more deaths on Sunday

Dallas County reported 156 coronavirus cases and three deaths on Sunday.

Of Sunday’s cases, 28 were unreported from Texas’ Department of State Health Services data system, including 11 from September, two from August, nine from July, four from May, and two from April.

The latest COVID-19 deaths include a Dallas man in his 50s who was a resident of a long-term care facility, a Dallas woman in her 50s, and a Garland man in his 90s who was a resident of a long-term care facility. All three had underlying health conditions, according to officials.

Dallas County has confirmed 75,052 COVID-19 cases, including 973 deaths. The county does not report recoveries.

Fort Worth ISD’s online platform was panned last school year. How’s the new one working?

Kerri Menchaca could tell her daughter was anxious last spring, after Fort Worth ISD shut down its schools and moved classes online.

At first, Menchaca’s daughter adapted well enough to the online classes, Menchaca said. But a couple of weeks after the shutdown, her teacher started using a new format. That system worked better, Menchaca said, but for her daughter, it was one more change.

It all gave Menchaca and her husband their share of headaches, too, she said. They had to help their kids adjust to class format changes and deal with the uncertainty about when their kids would be able to go back to school.

So before the district started its online classes Sept. 8, Menchaca didn’t know what to expect, and her daughter worried that the classes would be impersonal. But a few days into the school year, the classes seem better organized, and her daughter seems less anxious. During online classes, Menchaca watches her daughter as she smiles, laughs and talks to her teacher and classmates.

“It’s very sweet,” Menchaca said.

The first day of school for Fort Worth ISD marked the roll out of a new model for online classes. It replaces a platform the district adopted for distance learning when schools shut down last spring as the COVID-19 pandemic reached North Texas. But that platform was unpopular among teachers, students and parents, mainly because it didn’t allow for much live instruction from teachers. District officials promised a better experience this year.