At least one person has commented here on the DallasVoice.com website asking why Dallas County officials decided to extend the shelter in place order through May 20, and I have seen comments on social media about the extension, as well. So I thought I would share with you all this information from Dallas County Health and Human Services:
- As of 10 a.m. today (Friday, April 3), DCHHS is reporting 90 new positive cases of 2019 novel coronavirus disease — aka COVID-19 — bringing the county’s total case count to 921. That includes 17 deaths.
- The numbers of ICU hospitalizations from COVID-19 during the past week HAVE EXCEEDED THE PEAK WEEK OF ICU HOSPITALIZATIONS FROM INFLUENZA THIS PAST 2019-2020 SEASON in Dallas County. I put that info in all caps to emphasize, once again, that COVID-19 is not “just the flu.” Notice that does not says “hospitalizations;” it says ICU hospitalizations. In other words, COVID-19 is making some people VERY ill, and from everything the experts of saying, this has not been our “peak week” for COVID-19.
- Of those COVID-19 patients requiring hospitalizations 71 percent have either been over 60 years old or have had at least one known high-risk chronic health condition. Of all patients hospitalized with COVID-19, 28 percent have also had diabetes.
- Thirty-four of Dallas County’s COVID-19 cases — including three of the 17 deaths — are associated with one of five long-term care facilities.
One more factor I want to talk about here is “transmission risk factors” — or how did these folks contract the coronavirus. Of the 921 known cases in Dallas County, 47 (6.7 percent) contracted the virus through exposure during international travel; 79 (9.4 percent) contracted the virus during domestic out-of-state travel; 5 (0.8 percent) contracted the virus through cruise ship travel; 34 (4.4 percent) contracted the virus in a long-term care facility, and 22 (1.7 percent) contracted the virus in jail.
The rest — that’s 480 out of 921, or 76 percent — contracted COVID-19 through close contact or presumed community transmission.
And THAT, my friends, is why Dallas County has extended its shelter in place order.
Your math does not add up. 480/921 is 52%
These are the numbers from the county