City of Dallas Partner —
Earlier today, I announced during a press conference that I have named Dr. Kelvin Baggett the City of Dallas COVID-19 Health and Healthcare Access Czar. In his role, Dr. Baggett will assess and lead efforts to increase testing and contact tracing and promote health measures, especially in underserved communities in the City of Dallas. This will be critical for our ongoing public health response and for reopening and recovery efforts. You can watch the press conference by clicking on the image below.
Learn more about Dr. Baggett's role and background in this press release and in these articles: WBAP, NBC DFW, The Dallas Morning News, FOX 4, and CBS.
Below are the latest City of Dallas COVID-19 updates.
Confirmed Positive Cases of COVID-19 in North Texas
6,359 in Dallas County (236 are new) & 148 deaths (recovery numbers unknown)
3,810 in Tarrant County (65 are new) & 109 deaths (809 recovered)
968 in Denton County (22 are new) & 25 deaths (523 recovered)
963 in Collin County (24 are new) & 29 deaths (623 recovered)
238 in Ellis County & 11 deaths (163 recovered)
126 in Rockwall County & 5 deaths (56 recovered)
125 in Kaufman County & 1 death (96 recovered)
Hospital Reports
Here are the bed and ventilator capacity statistics for today as reported by 25 hospitals in the City of Dallas:
Total beds: 5,713
Beds occupied: 3,447 (60%)
Total ICU beds: 827
ICU beds occupied: 533 (64%)
Total ventilators: 948
Ventilators in use: 340 (36%)
COVID-19 Lab Reports
Below are the COVID-19 testing numbers reported by public, private, and commercial labs to the City of Dallas today:
825 COVID-19 tests
62 positive
760 negative
Testing numbers from labs to date
Total tests to date by public, private, and commercial labs*
30,730
Total tests to date by Dallas County Health and Human Services
3,209
Total tests to date private labs*
27,521
Total negative tests to date*
25,709
*Numbers since March 13, 2020, the date the order requiring public and private labs in Dallas to report their COVID-19 tests went into effect.
Note: these numbers DO NOT include the community-based testing site numbers since those tests are conducted in a lab not in the City of Dallas.
Community-Based Testing Sites
The numbers reported from the two community-based testing sites and mobile testing units are as follows:
American Airlines Center, Ellis Davis Field House, and Mobile Testing
Total number of visitors today: 1,047
Total tested today: 998
Total number of visitors since the sites opened: 33,055
Total number of tests since the sites opened: 27,395
Demographic information on those who visited the test sites and a breakdown of the number of people who visited each site or received mobile testing can be found here.
COVID-19 Dashboard
The City of Dallas has created a COVID-19 Dashboard containing data that is updated daily on COVID-19 cases, ventilator and bed capacity, lab tests, demographic information, and other critical data. Check it out by clicking on the image below.
City of Dallas/Mayor's Office Updates
FedEx is opening a new distribution center in southern Dallas, which is expected to be fully operational in November of 2020. The center will cover over 750,000 square feet and represents the first phase of a two-building development. You can read more about the center and Mayor Johnson's statement about the announcement here.
Goldman Sachs recently announced that the company is donating $110,000 to the Mayor’s Disaster Relief Fund, which will help the city’s COVID-19 relief efforts. You can read more about the donation here.
Just a reminder to participate in #ThankYouThursday every Thursday to show appreciation for frontline workers.
The Small Business Continuity Fund application portal is now closed. Answers to frequently asked questions about the program can be found here. For questions, you can email
SBCF@DallasCityhall.com.
Updates from Dallas County
Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 236 new cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the total case count in Dallas County to 6,359, with 148 total deaths to date.
Of cases requiring hospitalization who reported employment, about 79% have been critical infrastructure workers, with a broad range of affected occupational sectors, including: healthcare, transportation, food and agriculture, public works, finance, communications, clergy, first responders and other essential functions.
Of cases requiring hospitalization, two-thirds have been under 65 years of age, and about half do not have high-risk chronic health conditions.
Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
Of the 148 total deaths reported to date, over a third have been associated with long-term care facilities.
Please see the latest summary report for more information (updated TODAY). The report contains race/ethnicity information on the confirmed tests and deaths and important information comparing influenza ICU admissions and hospitalizations and COVID-19 ICU admissions and hospitalizations. Dallas County updates the summary report on Tuesdays and Fridays.
Updates from Collin County
There are 24 new cases (net) of COVID-19 in Collin County today, as of 3:30 p.m.
There are 311 current cases of COVID-19 in Collin County (total cases minus recovered and deceased).
There have been 963 total confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 in Collin County.
623 people have successfully recovered; 21 are hospitalized; 290 remain in home isolation.
There have been 29 confirmed deaths associated with COVID-19 in Collin County.
There have been 11,295 negative COVID-19 tests in Collin County.
There are 1,584 Persons Under Monitoring (PUM) in Collin County.
Updates from Denton County
Denton County Public Health (DCPH) has announced 22 new laboratory-confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County. This increases the cumulative, countywide total to 968 confirmed COVID-19 cases. DCPH is also reporting 65 newly recovered cases of COVID-19.
DCPH is providing a free drive-thru COVID-19 testing center in the Little Elm-Aubrey area on Friday, May 15, 2020. Community members must call to pre-register for testing at 940-349-2585. The testing center will be held at Braswell High School at 26750 E. University Drive in Aubrey from 8 a.m. – 12 p.m. Eligible community members are those who have symptoms of COVID-19, or have been symptomatic within the past 7 days. All essential employees are also eligible for free testing.
Additional details regarding DCPH’s drive-thru COVID-19 testing centers can be found at DentonCounty.gov/COVID19testing. Visit DentonCounty.gov/COVIDstats for local COVID-19 data including interactive heat maps, charts, and city and zip code data. Visit DentonCounty.gov/COVID19 for COVID-19 health and safety information.
Updates from the State
Governor Greg Abbott today issued a proclamation extending his Disaster Declaration for all Texas counties in response to COVID-19. Originally issued on March 13 and extended on April 12, the Disaster Declaration provides the state a number of resources to effectively serve Texans as the Lone Star State continues to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. For more details, please visit Governor Abbott’s website.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission today announced the launch of a statewide pilot program allowing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to purchase groceries online at participating retailers for curbside pickup or delivery starting Wednesday. Check here for more details about the program.
Barber shops and salons were able to reopen Friday in Texas under the governor's executive orders. Other businesses are able to reopen on May 18. Read the executive orders here.
North Texas Food Bank Mobile Pantry
The North Texas Food Bank Mobile Pantry returns to Fair Park this Thursday, May 14 from 9 a.m. to noon, or until all available food has been dispersed. The pick-up area will be in a new location in Lots 15 and 16. Participants should enter through Gate 2 only, located at the intersection of Parry Avenue and Haskell Avenue, and follow directional signage to the pick-up area.
In order to practice strict social distancing, the Mobile Pantry serves drive-through clients only and is unable to accommodate walk-up clients. Individuals requiring food assistance who cannot access a car should use the “Find Food” tool on
www.ntfb.org to find additional resources.
Walmart Drive-Thru Testing Site
A new drive-thru testing site has opened in the Walmart parking lot located at 9410 Webb Chapel Rd. in North West Dallas. Appointments must be made at
www.DoINeedaCOVID19test.com, which will screen individuals to ensure they meet CDC eligibility for testing. For questions regarding testing, you can call 800-635-8611. Those being tested will need to wear a mask or cloth covering and stay in their cars for verification of eligibility criteria, ID check, and self-administered test. The site will use a self-administered nasal swab test that will allow those being tested to swab their own nose onsite while in their vehicles. Please note: testing is not available inside Walmart stores. For more information, please check out the article about the site by clicking on the image below.
Kroger Health Testing Site
Kroger Health is now offering a free COVID-19 testing site in South Dallas and expects to perform over 1,000 tests weekly. Residents can check if they are eligible for testing and register at
https://www.krogerhealth.com/covidtesting. Eligible residents will be able to choose an appointment time online and will then receive an email confirmation. When the resident arrives for their test, they should have their photo ID ready and should leave their window rolled up for check-in until a health care practitioner comes to the car to provide the patient with the test. For more information, please see the press release in English and Spanish and click on the image below.
Walgreens Testing Site
Walgreens opened a drive-thru testing site in southern Dallas at 2060 South Buckner Boulevard. Pre-registration is required to get tested at this location. To receive a test, individuals must first complete an online health assessment to determine eligibility. After the test, patients will be informed of results within 24 hours. To find out more information and to sign up to get tested, click on the image below.
COVID-19 Resource Hotline
The City of Dallas has launched a COVID-19 resource hotline. The hotline offers information in Spanish and English 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The number is 214-670-INFO (4636). You can also find a breakdown of additional resources by clicking on the image below.
Dallas Regional Chamber Resources
The Dallas Regional Chamber has set up a site for additional resources for residents and businesses, including information on various state and federal programs. Check out their resource guide here and their site to connect displaced workers to employment opportunities during the pandemic by clicking on the image below.
United Way Resource Guides
United Way of Metropolitan Dallas has put together a list of resources available to Dallas area residents in English and Spanish. Resources include the North Texas Food Bank’s open food pantries, tax filing information, and job opportunities.
Senior Source Resources
This is the link to the Senior Source’s COVID-19 resource guide. The guide includes information for seniors, including information on specific grocery store hours dedicated to seniors, and guidance for those who are caring for seniors during the pandemic.
If you have more questions about COVID-19, including what you should do if you believe you might have the virus, check out the City's web page,
City of Dallas : Coronavirus (COVID-19).
Please share this update. The official page to sign up to receive this newsletter is here.
As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reply to this email or call (214) 670-3301.
Sincerely,
Office of Mayor Eric Johnson
1500 Marilla Street, 5EN
Dallas, Texas 75201
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