COVID-19 In DFW Sept. 6-12: Gov. Abbott Extends Statewide Disaster Declaration

Gov. Greg Abbott issued a proclamation on Monday, extending the disaster declaration for all Texas counties in response to COVID-19. The declaration, which was first issued on March 13, provides the state with resources to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Get the latest news from our COVID-19 Live Updates page.

Saturday, Sept. 12

Tarrant County Reports 203 New Cases, 11 Deaths

Tarrant County is reporting 203 new cases, bringing the countywide total to 44,140. Eleven deaths are also reported.

182 Cases Reported In Collin County

After reporting 182 new cases today, Collin County now has a cumulative total of 11,986 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 122 deaths.

Dallas County Reports 165 New Cases

Dallas County Health and Human Services is reporting 165 new cases. Of those cases, five were from previous months: two from July, three from August and 10 from September.

Six deaths are also reported:

• A Mesquite man in his 50s who expired in an area hospital ED and had underlying high risk health conditions.
• An Irving woman in her 50s who expired in an area hospital ED and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.
• A Grand Prairie woman in her 60s who was found deceased at home, and who had underlying high risk health conditions.
• A Mesquite man in his 60s who had been critically ill in an area hospital and had underlying high risk health conditions.
• A Dallas woman in her 80s who was found deceased at home and had underlying high risk health conditions.
• A Dallas woman in her 80s who had been hospitalized and did not have underlying high risk health conditions.

Denton County Reports 37 New Cases

Denton County Public Health is reporting 37 new cases, bringing the countywide total to 11,014.

Friday, Sept. 11

There are 211 new COVID-19 cases in Tarrant County today, bringing the cumulative number of cases countywide to 43,937 including 592 deaths.

259 More COVID-19 Cases In Dallas County

Dallas County is reporting 259 new cases today, bringing the total confirmed case count in Dallas County to 74,887 including 965 confirmed deaths.

Of the 259 new cases we are reporting today, 109 came through state's backlogged reporting system and 64 were from previous months.

Denton County Reports 61 New Cases

Denton County Public Health is reporting 61 new cases, bringing the countywide total to 10,977 including 105 deaths.

70 New Cases In Collin County

After reporting 70 new cases today, Collin County now has a cumulative total of 11,804 confirmed COVID-19 cases, including 122 deaths.

Lawmakers Call On Gov. Abbott To Plan To Expand Broadband Access

As the COVID-19 pandemic has "exacerbated existing disparities" related to high-speed internet access in Texas, a bipartisan group of state lawmakers asked Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday to develop a plan to expand broadband access in the state.

“Texas is well overdue for a state broadband plan, and we believe the state needs to begin the process of creating one immediately,” the 88 lawmakers wrote in a letter to Abbott’s office. They said the need can't wait until the 2021 session of the Texas Legislature.

Access to broadband has become even more important during the coronavirus pandemic as social distancing has prompted remote learning at schools and remote working for many offices. More than 800,000 rural Texans don’t have adequate broadband infrastructure, however, according to data and maps produced by Connected Nation Texas and cited by the lawmakers in the letter. As broadband speeds increase, the number of rural communities that get left behind also increases, they said.

People who are less likely to have internet connectivity are poor, elderly, rural, speak English as a second language or have less education — and that hasn’t changed since the 1990s, said Larry Irving, the former U.S. assistant secretary of commerce for communications and information and former administrator of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
— The Texas Tribune

Thursday, Sept. 10

Dallas County Reports 152 New Cases, 7 Deaths

There are 152 additional cases in the area, bringing the total to 74,628. Of the 152 cases reported today, 72 came from the state’s electronic reporting system that has been experiencing a backlog. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said although the county’s seen a rise in positive cases in the last week, he hopes the numbers start to trend downwards:

“Today I’m sad to report the death of seven more county residents from COVID-19, including a pregnant woman in her 40s without other high risk health conditions. These deaths bring our total of confirmed COVID-19 deaths since March to 964. Today we report an additional 152 cases, all of which we categorize as new cases. All the cases from the state’s electronic laboratory reporting system we received today were tests from September.

Hopefully the number of positive cases today will begin a trend back lower as we’ve seen a rise in the last week of COVID-19 positive cases and the latest R0, pronounced R naught, seen in the UTSW chart show that our R0 may have recently gone above 1, which may lead to outbreaks and an increase in the number of cases in our community.”

The seven deaths reported today include:

• A DeSoto woman in her 40s.
• A pregnant Dallas woman in her 40s.
• A Wilmer man in his 50s.
• A Dallas man in his 50s.
• A Dallas woman in her 50s.
• A Garland man in his 50s.
• A Dallas man in his 60s who was a resident of the City of Dallas.

69 New Cases In Denton County

Another 69 cases in the county raises the total to 10,916. There have been 77 newly-recovered cases, increasing the total to 9,229.

A free drive-thru COVID-19 testing center will be available in The Colony on September 15. Pre-registration is required and appointments are available starting at 8 a.m. The testing center will be held at Hawaiian Falls at 4400 Paige Road.

Eligible community members are those who have had symptoms of COVID-19 within the past seven days, essential employees, individuals 60 years and older, as well as individuals who have had contact with someone diagnosed with COVID-19. All community members must call to pre-register for testing at 940-349-2585.

Tarrant County Reports 211 New Cases

There are 211 new cases in the area, increasing the total to 43,726. Five deaths were reported today, including an Arlington man in his 90s, a Grapevine woman in her 80s, a Mansfield woman in her 70s and two Fort Worth men in their 50s.

All of the patients had underlying health conditions.

58 New Cases In Collin County

An additional 58 cases brings the total to 11,734. There have been 122 deaths and 11,102 people who have recovered from the virus in the area.

Texas Bars Transition To Restaurants In Order To Stay Open

Hundreds of bars across Texas are now operating as restaurants to stay open under the Governor's COVID-19 restrictions.

Abbott closed bars in late June. Since then, 660 have reopened with food sales now making up more than half of their total revenue.

Chris Porter with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission says he expects roughly 400 more will be approved to reopen soon.

"There is a very small number of businesses who haven't been able to obtain their permits because they wouldn't meet that below-51% threshold in order to operate as a restaurant but, by and large, the majority of restaurants are getting approved."

Restaurants in Texas are still restricted to 50% occupancy to slow spreading the coronavirus.

Baylor University Postpones Season Opener

Baylor University is the third Big 12 team that's had to postpone its scheduled season opener because of the coronavirus.

The Bears were supposed to open at home Saturday against Louisiana Tech, but the visiting school announced last night it would not be able to play because of a number of recent positive COVID-19 tests.

No makeup date was announced.

TCU had to put off its scheduled opener Friday night against SMU after a virus outbreak last week among Horned Frogs players and support staff.

Wednesday, Sept. 9

Southern Methodist University Faces Rise In Cases

Southern Methodist University in Dallas has moved into a state of "high level operations."

COVID-19 numbers on campus are climbing. SMU reported 246 cases as of yesterday.

About 100 students are currently quarantined, taking up 60% of the available isolation space on campus. University officials are working to increase isolation capacity and expand testing on campus.

SMU plans to continue in-person classes. Athletic events also are still permitted with social-distancing restrictions in place.

Dallas County Reports 376 New Cases, 9 More Deaths

Dallas County is reporting 376 new COVID-19 cases and nine more deaths. This brings the cumulative number of confirmed cases countywide to 74,476, including 957 deaths.

Of the 376 new cases reported today, 168 came from the backlog in the state's reporting system. Of those cases 19 are from July, 91 are from August and 58 are from September.

Dallas County Judy Clay Jenkins said on Twitter epidemiologists say cases in the county are no longer trending downward and may be trending up.

44 New Cases In Collin County

There are 44 additional cases in the area, bringing the total to 11,676. There have been 118 deaths and 11,915 people who have recovered from the virus in the area.

81 New Cases In Denton County

Another 81 cases in the area raises the total to 10,847. There have been 151 newly-recovered cases, increasing the countywide recovery total to 9,152.

Tarrant County Reports 460 New Cases, 5 Deaths

There are 460 additional cases in the county, bringing the total to 43,515. The county also reported five new deaths including: three Azle woman, one over 100, one in her 90s and one in her 80s, a Bedford woman in her 80s and an Azle man in his 70s.

All of the patients had underlying health conditions.

Perot Museum Will Reopen Saturday

The Perot Nature and Science Museum reopens Saturday with new safety measures in place.

Guests can purchase timed-entry tickets in advance, contactless entry’s available and occupancy's limited to 25%.

Some areas of the Museum will be closed temporarily,including the Moody Family Children’s Museum, The Hoglund Foundation Theater and a number of interactive activities.

Nationwide Shortage Of Remdesivir Worries Hospital Officials Heading Into Fall

A nationwide shortage of a drug used to treat COVID-19 has hospital officials worried about what this could mean if there's another wave of infections this fall.

Dr. Tom Patterson is chief of infectious diseases at the Long School of Medicine at UT-Health San Antonio.

He said remdesivir typically cuts a patient's recovery time by 30%.

"But it also allowed patients to get out of hospitals,” Patterson said. “So, if we were able to reduce our patients requiring hospital admission, then it increases capacity for us and our whole region.”

Patterson said it's not clear how much supply of the anti-viral drug will be made available this fall or how the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services will distribute the supply to states.

Tuesday, Sept. 8

Dallas County Reports 139 New Cases, 3 Deaths

Another 139 cases raises the total to 74,100. Of the 139 new cases, 63 came through the state’s electronic reporting system that has been experiencing a backlog. Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said he hopes there won’t be a rise in cases after the holiday weekend. He also said with the decreasing numbers, he’s anticipating that more Dallas County students can return back to school:

“With the decreasing numbers, I’m hopeful that more schools will be able to welcome back our youngest scholars soon, and if we keep the numbers down, that more and more kids will get the opportunity for in-person learning. It’s up to all of us for that to happen and the best way to keep our numbers trending lower is to wear a mask, maintain six-foot distancing, wash hands frequently, avoid unnecessary trips, and avoid places where people are not wearing their mask one hundred percent of the time.”

The three deaths reported today include:

• A Dallas woman in her 50s.
• A Dallas woman in her 50s.
• A Dallas man in his 60s.

4 Deaths, 127 Cases In Denton County

There are four additional deaths in the area, raising the total to 105 deaths. The deaths reported today include:

• A Denton man in his 70s.
• A Denton woman over 80 who was a resident of The Vintage Health Care Center.
• A Dallas woman in her 50s.
• A Carrollton woman over 80.

An additional 127 cases were reported today, bringing the total to 10,766. There have also been 107 newly-recovered cases, increasing the countywide recovery total to 9,001.

Tarrant County Reports 257 New Cases, 6 Deaths

An additional 257 cases were reported today, bringing the total to 43,055. There have been 582 deaths, including six reported today: three Azle women, two in their 80s and one in her 90s, a Grapevine man in his 80s and a Fort Worth woman in her 70s.

98 New Cases In Collin County

Collin County reported 98 new COVID-19 cases today, bringing the cumulative countywide total to 11,632 confirmed cases, including 118 deaths.

Gov. Abbott Extends Statewide Disaster Declaration

Gov. Abbott issued a proclamation on Monday, extending the disaster declaration for all Texas counties in response to COVID-19. The declaration, which was first issued on March 13, provides the state with resources to mitigate the spread of the virus:

"Renewing this Disaster Declaration helps ensure that we have the resources and strategies in place to help communities across Texas respond to COVID-19," Abbott said. "I urge Texans to take precautionary steps to protect their health by wearing a mask, social distancing, and sanitizing their hands. Working together, we will slow the spread and keep our communities safe.”

Texas Commission On The Arts Offers $13 Million In Funding

The Texas Commission on the Arts is providing nearly $13 million to groups across Texas.

In its first round of funding for the fiscal year 2020-2021, the agency approved 790 grants in 93 cities.

The funding supports a range of initiatives, including bolstering the operations of established arts groups and helping to diversify local economies.

North Texas Homeowners Challenged Financially Amid The Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic's taking its toll on North Texas homeowners.

The Dallas Morning News reports new data from Core Logic shows 8% of Dallas-Fort Worth residents with mortgages had missed at least one loan payment as of June.

The late loan rate has nearly doubled in the last year as the pandemic caused thousands of job cuts and some homeowners have deferred mortgage payments.

However, the increase in late loan rates hasn't caused a rise in foreclosures.

As a result of the pandemic, Catholic Charities Fort Worth experienced a 29-percent increase in calls between April and May - and another 21-increase between May and June.

Catholic Charities Launches Short-Term Assistance Program

Merrissa Kuylen with Catholic Charities said the nonprofit has created a new program to serve families and individuals who might not need long-term assistance, but who do need help now.

"They may be experiencing a crisis for the first time in their lives, and they may never have needed to navigate those benefits or financial assistance,” she said. “We also believe in holistically serving them, so clients may have an immediate financial concern to address but we're here to help address those needs."

This Short Term Case Management program is designed to work with people for up to six months and can help with everything from securing one-time rent assistance to enrolling in public programs like SNAP.

Monday, Sept 7.

States Prepare For Potential Fall Vaccine Distribution, Under Pressure From CDC

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently sent guidance to states on how to prepare to distribute a COVID-19 vaccine. The agency asked for a distribution plan as soon as October, and said that vaccination sites should be ready by Nov. 1. Those dates caught a lot of people off guard, and set off some alarm bells that political pressure was tainting the process.

"I was obviously concerned because of the politicization that's going on," says Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association. President Trump has suggested a vaccine would be ready before the end of the year "if we can, maybe before."

But, Benjamin says, "We've got to take a deep breath." He says CDC's timeline maybe unrealistic, but it's not necessarily politically motivated. "It is very clear that we need to lean forward to prepare to deliver the vaccine."

Read the full storyfrom NPR.

Dallas County Reports 261 New Cases

Dallas County is reporting 261 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing the total confirmed case count in Dallas County to 73,961, including 946 confirmed deaths.

Of the 261 new cases we are reporting today, 177 came through the state’s reporting system, with 142 cases coming from September. The remaining cases were from August.

Collin County Reports 53 New Cases, 1 More Death
There are 53 new COVID-19 cases in Collin County today and one additional resident has died.

This brings to total number of confirmed cases in the county to 11,534, including 118 deaths.

According to data from the state, 10,836 residents with the disease have recovered.

51 New Cases In Denton County
Denton County is reporting 51 new confirmed cases of COVID-19.

This increases the cumulative, countywide total to 10,639 cases, including 101 deaths.

According to county health data 8,898 residents have recovered from the disease.

Dallas County Reports First Two West Nile Deaths

Dallas County's reported its first two deaths from West Nile virus. Both were Dallas residents.

Health officials have also reported a new human case in Irving.

All three were diagnosed with the more serious neuro-invasive form of West Nile.

County Health Director Dr. Philip Huang urged people to avoid mosquito bites by wearing insect repellent with DEET.

He also recommended treating or draining standing water, and limiting time outside at dawn and dusk, when mosquitos are most active.

Sunday, Sept. 6

247 New Cases & 1 More Death In Dallas County

Dallas County is reporting 247 additional confirmed COVID-19 cases and one more death, an Irving man in his 70s with underlying health conditions.That brings the total confirmed case count in Dallas County to 73,700, including 945 confirmed deaths.

Of the 247 new cases reported today, 125 came from the state’s electronic reporting system that has been experiencing a backlog. Of the backlogged cases, three are from July, 32 are from August and 90 are from September.

Read More: A Timeline Of COVID-19's Spread In North Texas

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