Dallas County reports record COVID-19 cases including spike at child care facilities

Fort Worth Star-Telegram - 6/18/2020

Jun. 17--Dallas County reported a single-day high 413 new coronavirus cases and nine deaths on Wednesday.

The county has passed 15,000 COVID-19 cases and 300 deaths as the pandemic continues to surge during June.

The previous high for cases was 345 on Saturday. The county has reported 300 or more cases the past eight days and at least 200 for the past three weeks.

The nine latest pandemic deaths include four patients with no underlying conditions, including a Dallas man in his 40s who was a resident of a long-term care facility. The deceased included four in Dallas, two in Mesquite and one each in Duncanville, Grand Prairie and Lancaster. Three men and a woman were in their 60s, two men and a woman were in their 70s, and one woman was in her 90s and a resident of a Dallas long-term care facility.

Health officials are reporting more than 17 COVID-19 cases in children and staff from nine different child care facilities during the past week, including additional illness in associated family members with affected children. Officials said that before this week only one child care facility had reported COVID-19 cases the previous two months.

"Increasing outbreaks of cases are being reported from multiple large social gatherings since the beginning of June," the county reported in a release. "The recent death of a 12-year-old is under investigation by the Medical Examiner's office as a COVID-19 associated death."

Breaking news & more

Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said there has been a 40% increase in COVID-19 hospitalizations in the county over the past two weeks.

"If these percentage increases continue, many more people will get sick and die in the coming weeks," Jenkins said in a release.

___

Visit the Fort Worth Star-Telegram at www.star-telegram.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.