Dallas County reported its 229th death Sunday and 228 additional positive cases of the coronavirus.
The additional death was a man in his 70s who was a resident of a long-term care facility in the city and had been hospitalized. The man had underlying high-risk health conditions, officials said.
The new cases bring the county's total to 10,234.
The new cases reported Friday, Saturday and Sunday mark the "beginning of a modest trend upward in increased positive cases," Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said.
Though the case counts are going up, Jenkins said doctors and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are focusing on hospitalizations, emergency room visits and ICU admissions for COVID-19, and deaths.
"We'll have a better gauge of those numbers on Tuesday as there is a lag in reporting on the weekend," Jenkins said in a written statement. "Unfortunately, we have not seen a decline yet in any of the metrics that the doctors and the CDC are looking for to loosen our restrictions so please continue to make smart decisions."
Jenkins also addressed the potential health risks at gatherings of people at protests following George Floyd's death at the hands of law enforcement.
"Peaceful protests and demonstrations are a quintessential part of our American democracy," Jenkins said. "In this strange time of COVID-19, where we are best served for public health to avoid crowds, maintain 6 foot distancing, and wear a cloth face covering when in public gatherings, those who wish to demonstrate must be particularly mindful of their safety and public health so that we don’t see an outbreak caused by these mass gatherings."
