Five more Denton County residents die of COVID-19

Five more Denton County residents have died as a result of COVID-19, Denton County Public Health announced Tuesday.

The latest deaths include: a man in his 60s from Denton, a man over 80 of Corinth, a man in his 60s of Krugerville, a man in his 60s from Little Elm and a man in his 50s of Lewisville. The countywide coronavirus death toll is now 98.

“We ask for your thoughts and prayers for the families and friends of these five individuals,” said Denton County Judge Andy Eads. “We ask for you to continue wearing masks, handwashing, and social distancing, to help slow the spread of COVID-19 within Denton County.”

DCPH also announced 407 new recoveries and 171 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 among county residents, but only 94 are active. DCPH Director Dr. Matt Richardson said many confirmed cases already recovered before they were investigated by the DSHS, causing a significant reporting delay.

There are now 2,109 active cases in Denton County and 7,199 total recoveries in the county.

DCPH is providing a free drive-thru COVID-19 testing center in Denton on Friday at UNT’s DiscoveryPark at 3940 North Elm St., beginning at 8 a.m. 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.

To minimize spread of COVID-19, DCPH urges all community members to:

• Maintain at least six feet of physical distance in public settings and when around individuals outside of the household
• Wear masks or face coverings, which should cover both the nose and mouth, in public settings and when around individuals outside of the household
• Wash and/or sanitize hands frequently
• Stay home if you are symptomatic, have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19, or have pending COVID-19 lab results

For additional COVID-19 data including active case information by municipality, hospital capacity, and ventilator utilization, visit dentoncounty.gov/COVIDstats. For information regarding DCPH’s upcoming testing centers, visit dentoncounty.gov/COVID19testing. For additional COVID-19 health and safety recommendations, visit dentoncounty.gov/COVID19.