Garland’s Director of Health Jason Chessher gave the City Council and Mayor Scott LeMay a bit of positive news about the COVID-19 pandemic status at the last work session.
“We seem to be headed in the right direction overall as does the region and perhaps the state but…we shouldn’t allow that to make us become complacent,” Chessher said. “Now is the time to be as vigilant as ever with the personal protective precautions that we’ve preached all along.”
He explained that everyone should continue to follow all the safety precautions that are currently in place. These include: Wear face coverings, maintain at least 6 feet of distance from others, avoid large crowds, wash your hands frequently, do not touch your face, eyes, mouth and nose especially with unwashed hands. Also remember to cover coughs and sneezes and avoid people who are sick.
As of Aug. 16, the city of Garland has reported 5,361 total confirmed cases and 1,308 of those are active. There have been 45 deaths and 4,008 individuals have recovered. Of those who have died, only three, all males, did not suffer from underlying conditions.
Also as of Aug. 16, the total case count in Dallas County was reported as 63,428 and there have been 825 confirmed deaths.
More than 2,925 Dallas County children under 18 years of age have been diagnosed with confirmed COVID-19 cases since July 1. This includes 66 children who have been hospitalized because of the virus.
Of confirmed cases in all age groups requiring hospitalization to date, more than two-thirds have been under 65 years of age. Diabetes has been an underlying high-risk health condition reported in about a third of all hospitalized patients with COVID-19.
The State of Texas reported a confirmed case total of 535,042 as of Aug. 16. The estimated number of recoveries reported by the state is 399,572 and there are 125,487 active cases. The fatality count in Texas is 9,983.