The Dallas County Health Department is reporting seven new COVID-19 deaths Wednesday along with another 358 cases of the virus.
Of the 358 cases reported Wednesday, Dallas County officials said 207 are from the Texas Department of State Health Services backlog with 172 of them coming from August, 22 from July, 12 from June, and one from May.
The county is including the August cases in the 323 cases reported as new Wednesday.
“Today we’re reporting 323 new COVID-19 cases and 35 old cases from May, June, and July for a total of 358 cases today," said Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins. "According to the Public Health Committee, we have met the criteria to now move from the 'Red' high-risk level into the 'Orange' moderate-risk level. We had been in the 'Red' risk-level since we announced the color-coded risk chart in May, and as we saw record numbers of cases and hospitalizations over the summer."
Get top local stories in DFW delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC DFW's News Headlines newsletter.
"I know the move to the 'Orange' level is because of the hard work of Dallas County residents who have worn their masks, maintained social distances and made sacrifices for the greater good. The Public Health Guidance document that shows what medical experts say you can safely do in the 'Orange' level can be found here.
Jenkins added that, with all activities, it’s very important that everyone continues to wear their mask, maintain a six-foot distance, use good hand-washing, avoid unnecessary trips, and avoid any indoor activities where people are not wearing masks 100% of the time.
The county reported seven more deaths, one of whom is still probable, including:
- A man in his 50s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A man in his 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the City of Dallas. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 70s who was a resident of the City of Lancaster. She had been critically ill in an area hospital and did not have underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A man in his 80s who was a resident of the City of Richardson. He had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
- A woman in her 90s who was a resident of the City of DeSoto. She had been hospitalized and had underlying high-risk health conditions.
The county has now accumulated 72,610 cases of the virus since testing began in March. With an estimated 61,519 recoveries being reported by the state through Wednesday, there are also an estimated 10,165 active cases in Dallas County. There have been 926 confirmed deaths attributed in the county to the virus, which, according to Dallas County Health and Human Services Director Dr. Philip Huang, is now the third leading cause of death in the county behind diseases of the heart and cancers. Since March 20, the date of the first reported COVID-19 related death in Dallas County, the county has averaged 5.5 deaths per day.
Data released by the county Tuesday shows COVID-19 patients at Dallas County hospitals down to just below 400. A month ago, in early August, that number was closer to 700. Updated hospitalization data will be released Friday.
