For the latest on the pandemic in North Texas, visit KERA News' COVID-19 Live Updates page.
Saturday, July 17
Tarrant County Reports 966 New Cases, One Death, As Community Spread Remains High
The death reported Saturday is a Fort Worth man in his 40s who had an underlying health condition. Tarrant County has now seen 3,607 confirmed deaths from COVID-19. The county has also seen a total 266,698 cases of COVID-19. Officials report 259,297 people have recovered.
More Than 12 Million Texans Fully Vaccinated
The Texas Department of State Health Services reports 12,326,614 Texans are now fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Officials also report 14,254,212 people have received at least one dose.
Friday, July 16
Tarrant County Raises Community Spread Level To High, Reports Five Deaths
The deaths include a woman from Richland Hills in her 80s, a man and a woman from Fort Worth in their 70s, a man from Haltom City in his 50s, and a man from Fort Worth in his 40s. All had an underlying health condition.
The rate of community spread has increased from near 2% in June to near 12% this week, which has triggered the Community Spread Level to rise from Moderate to Substantial on Wednesday and increase again today to High. By definition, High community spread occurs when positive cases (positivity rate) climbs above 10%.
Tarrant County now has 3,606 confirmed deaths and 259,194 people have recovered.
Dallas County Reports 207 Cases, Three Deaths
The three deaths give Dallas County a total of 4,160. The deaths reported Friday included people who ranged in age from their 40s to their 80s, and all had underlying health conditions.
The Fair Park vaccination site will close Saturday after providing shots since January. More than 496,000 total doses have been given at that mega-vaccination site.
Denton County Reports 115 Cases
Of the 115 cases reported, 107 were active cases. Denton County also reported 43 recoveries, bringing the countywide recovery total to 75,461. There have been a total of 628 deaths in the county.
Texas Added 43,900 Jobs In June
Texas added 43,900 jobs last month, according to data released today by the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.
The state added a revised 45,300 jobs in May. It has added 267,400 jobs year to date.
Using a top-down model based on national forecasts, COVID-19 hospitalizations and oil futures prices, the Texas Employment Forecast estimates that that job growth will increase by 5.6 percent in 2021.
“Healthy job growth in May and June and a stronger outlook for U.S. GDP growth in the second half of the year pushed up the forecast,” said Keith Phillips, Dallas Fed assistant vice president and senior economist. “Supply bottlenecks and labor constraints are likely to ease in the second half of the year. The forecast would be even stronger except for an increase in projected Texas COVID-19 hospitalizations in the third quarter, which may suppress growth somewhat.”
Gov. Abbott Encourages Texans To Get Vaccinated
Gov. Greg Abbott said COVID-19 vaccines are the best way to slow a recent rise in new infections across the state. The Republican governor told public radio's Texas Standard the shots are optional for Texans, but acknowledged the protections it offers against the virus.
"Anybody who gets vaccinated, the chances of them getting COVID or facing serious consequences of COVID are extremely minimal, and from all the information that I've been provided, the people who are getting COVID are people who are not vaccinated," he said.
As of Tuesday, more than 2,400 Texans were hospitalized with COVID.
Other officials across Texas are urging unvaccinated people to get COVID-19 shots as the more contagious Delta variant drives up new cases and hospitalizations.
San Antonio, for example, saw its positivity rate nearly double in one week to 11.2%. Mayor Ron Nirenberg says residents cannot let their guards down.
"The renewed growth in new cases and hospitalizations is concerning. Particularly for those who are unvaccinated," Nirenberg said. "COVID-19 remains deadly and the unvaccinated remain at risk of hospitalization or severe illness."
Texans 12 and older can get COVID-19 vaccines. About 51 percent of the state's eligible population is fully vaccinated.
Thursday, July 15
Texas Hospitalizations Reach A Two-Month High As The Delta Variant Pushes Case Numbers Up
COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations are on the rise in Texas as the more contagious delta variant drives new infections. The increase is prompting local officials to remind residents to get vaccinated.
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff is among those urging people to get the shots, as the San Antonio area sees a significant uptick in patients. He spoke Wednesday.
"We didn't know what to expect as we hit the very low that we were at in fact on June 15 we were down to only 117 people in the hospital, Wolff said. "Now, as of just yesterday, we're up to 258 people in the hospital."
There are more than 2,400 COVID-19 patients statewide — the highest number since May 10.
Texans 12 and older can get COVID-19 vaccines. Of the state's eligible population, 51% is is fully vaccinated.
Expanded Child Tax Credit Payments Start Today
Starting today, the federal government will start sending out the first of six monthly payments to millions of American families with children.
It's part of the American Rescue Plan, which was signed into law last spring.
Most U.S. families with children under 18 are eligible to get the monthly payments.
Families can get up to $250 per child aged 6 to 17, .and as much as $300 for each child under 6.
The exact payment is based on family income and tapers off for higher income families.
For eligible families who filed taxes over the last two years, payments should start automatically in the middle of this month. They'll come as a check or a direct deposit from the Treasury.
Families who did not file taxes may need to take an extra step. They can go to IRS.gov to make sure they're signed up to get the Advance Child Tax Credit payments.
Ben Carson Prompted 2020 Testing Of An Unproven COVID Remedy
Former federal housing secretary Ben Carson enlisted Texas A&M to test an anti COVID-19 drug that never proved itself. Along the way, trusted drug testing rules and procedures were violated.
An investigation by The Dallas Morning News revealed Carson pushed to school organize testing a compound from the oleander plant that preliminary experiments found killed COVID-19 cells in monkeys. The Morning News found extensive animal trials were bypassed to test the compound in people — including workers at a Corpus Christi meat packing plant and seniors in Bryan.
No one at the plant who got the compound died of COVID-19, but neither did any other workers who also caught the virus.
While some in the senior center died of the virus, none given the compound died.
The FDA had not approved the compound's use as treatment for COVID-19 and wouldn’t even approve it's use as a dietary supplement.
In Texas, Unemployment Claims Are Down Overall But First-Time Request Went Up In June
The U.S. Labor Department reports today that the number of Texans seeking first-time unemployment benefits rose last week.
In Texas, 31,749 people applied for unemployment for the first time last week. That marks a 31% increase from the previous week when 24,216 people in the state filed new jobless claims.
While Texas saw an uptick in the number of people applying for benefits, nationwide, unemployment claims fell to their lowest level since the onset of the pandemic in early March 2020. In the last ten days, the Texas Workforce Commission has made more than 980,000 unemployment payments.
Wednesday, July 14
Head Of Richardson Schools Joins National Committee On Education Pandemic Recovery
Jeannie Stone, superintendent of the Richardson Independent School District will be a part of a national committee focused on pandemic recovery for schools — the American Rescue Plan Committee.
Richardson was one of the few school districts that operated in person for the majority of last year.
The committee was organized by the School Superintendents Association, a national advocacy group for education leaders.
Stone will join other superintendents to provide recommendations for districts opening up across the nation. The committee will also weigh in on how to spend federal relief funds.
Stone hopes to focus on the learning gaps that many students faced last year, and tackle the loss of social and emotional relationships as students switch back to in-person learning.
Tuesday, July 13
Dallas County Reports 626 Cases, Four Deaths
The data reported by Dallas County on Tuesday is from three days' worth. The deaths reported Tuesday were of people who ranged in age from their 30s to their 90s, and all had underlying health conditions. Dallas County now has a countywide total of 4,152 deaths.
Denton County Reports 110 Cases, Four Deaths
The four deaths give Denton County a total of 628. The deaths reported Tuesday were of people who ranged in age from their 50s to their 80s. Denton County also reported 37 newly recovered cases, increasing the countywide recovery total to 75,354.
Recent Outbreaks Tied To Summer Camps
The U.S. has seen a string of COVID-19 outbreaks tied to summer camps in recent weeks in several states including Texas and Florida.
The clusters have come as the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the U.S. has reversed course, surging more than 60% over the past two weeks from an average of about 12,000 a day to about 19,500.
The rise in many places has been blamed on too many unvaccinated people and the highly contagious delta variant.
In the Houston area, health officials reported more than 130 children and adults tested positive for the virus in cases connected to a church camp. The pastor of Clear Creek Community Church in League City said the outbreak happened in two waves, first at the camp and then when people returned home in late June.
Biden Administration Provides $29 Million To Support Rural COVID Response Efforts
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced Tuesday it would provide $29 million to the state of Texas to help rural areas in particular. The funding will go to 115 small rural hospitals to help them with testing and mitigating the COVID-19 virus.
Small rural hospitals are defined as those who have fewer than 50 beds and are Critical Access Hospitals.
Monday, July 12
Dallas County Reports 186 Cases, Three Deaths
The three deaths give Dallas County a total of 4,148. The deaths reported Monday were of people who ranged in age from their 50s to their 70s, and all but one person had underlying health conditions.
This is the last week vaccinations will be given at the Fair Park site. The site is scheduled to close on Saturday, July 17. More than 494,000 doses have been administered at Fair Park since January.
For the week ending July 3, about 58% of Dallas residents 12 and older have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Denton County Reports 141 Cases
Of the 141 cases reported by Denton County, 139 of them are active cases. The county has a total of 624 deaths. There were 96 newly recovered cases reported Monday.
Health Officials: No Need To Get A COVID-19 Booster — Yet
Pfizer's plan to seek federal authorization for a booster dose of its COVID-19 vaccine is drawing mixed reaction from public health officials.
Dr. Peter Hotez is a top vaccine expert with the Baylor College of Medicine. He said he's surprised the pharmaceutical company is seeking emergency use authorization for a third vaccine dose and recommends they pursue full approval instead.
"Yes, I do think we ultimately will need a third immunization," Hotez said. "I don't know that we need to do it now. And I don't know that we need to do it against the Delta variant."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that individuals who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 do not need a booster right now.
Dallas County Saw A Big Increase In Sales Tax Revenues
County sfficials say they’re seeing a big increase in sales tax revenues.I n May, the city got nearly $29 million dollars in sales tax receipts — a 28% increase compared to last year, when many people weren't going out to shop or dine because of COVID-19.
By the end of the fiscal year, officials expect to have about $35 million more in sales tax collections as the economy rebounds faster than expected from the COVID-19-related recession.
Dallas College Reopens Food Pantries
Dallas College is reopening food pantries today at each of its seven campuses. The pantries closed last April, after the COVID-19 pandemic began.
Since then, Dallas College worked with the North Texas Food Bank to organize mobile pantries.
Carlos Cruz is dean of the Student Care Network at Dallas College. He said reopening the on-campus pantries serves a critical need for students.
"Because we want to ensure that our students have every resource available to them as we remove these barriers for their student success," Cruz said.
Since the pandemic began, Dallas College has distributed nearly 3 million pounds of food, serving more than 98,000 students and community members.
Local Professor Is Studying How Government, Mutual Aid Groups Responded To Pandemic And Storm
A University of Texas at Arlington professor is studying how the government and mutual aid groups responded to the pandemic and February’s winter storm. The findings could inform planning and preparedness for future disasters.
When winter storm Uri hit in February, Texas was already in a state of emergency addressing the COVID-19 pandemic.
Daniel Sledge, an associate professor of political science at UTA, wants to understand how local, state and federal entities operated under such massive amounts of stress — and where mutual aid groups helped fill in the gaps.
“So how do people get food? How do people get shelter? How do people stay warm?," Sledge said. "These are things that shape our ability to stay healthy and to thrive. Understanding how this relationship between government and these non-governmental entities shapes our ability to provide these services is incredibly important.”
The goal is to better understand the crisis response, and find efficiencies for the next time disaster strikes. Sledge said his findings will be shared with public officials and practitioners.
Cases And Hospitalizations Are On The Rise In Texas
The Texas Department of State Health Services reports hospitalizations have increased by 23% since July 1 with 1,961 COVID-19 patients as of Saturday. That's the highest number of patients since late May.
Texas's Chief State Epidemiologist warned last week the increase is driven by the highly-transmissible Delta variant spreading in communities with low vaccination rates. White House officials say, nationwide, virtually all people who are hospitalized for COVID-19 are not vaccinated."
Read More: A Timeline Of COVID-19's Spread In North Texas
KERA News is made possible through the generosity of our members. If you find this reporting valuable, consider making a tax-deductible gift today. Thank you.
