Denton County reports record 19 COVID-19 deaths

Denton County Public Health reported a record-high 19 COVID-19 deaths on Thursday, bringing the countywide death toll to 344.

The deaths reported Thursday include:

• A woman in her 70s and a woman over 80 who resided at Hollymead in Flower Mound
• A man over 80 and two women over 80 who resided at Rosewood Assisted Living in Flower Mound
• A woman in her 40s, a woman in her 50s and a woman in her 60s who lived in unincorporated northeast Denton County
• A man in his 70s who lived in unincorporated northwest Denton County
• A woman in her 40s and a man over 80 who lived in Denton
• A Lewisville man in his 60s
• A Frisco man over 80
• A Prosper man over 80
• A woman over 80 who was a resident of Atria Senior Living in Carrollton
• A woman over 80 who was a resident of Gracious Care Home in Lewisville
• A woman in her 50s who was a resident of Brinker Denton SCC
• A woman over 80 who was a resident of Good Samaritan Society – Denton Village
• A woman over 80 who was a resident of The Vintage Health Care Center in Denton

“The news of these 19 deaths related to COVID-19 is indicative of the ongoing seriousness of this virus,” said Denton County Judge Andy Eads. “Please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers.

“We hope everyone will continue practicing the necessary safety precautions to reduce the potential for the spread of COVID-19 in our communities. With the new U.K. B.1.1.7 variant identified recently in Denton County, the steps of social distancing, washing hands and wearing masks will be even more critical as we work to increase the availability of vaccinations.”

Dr. Matt Richardson, DCPH director, has said many times that when DCPH reports COVID-19 deaths, these are deaths that have been determined to have been caused by COVID-19, not just someone who had the coronavirus and died of something else.

DCPH also announced 458 new cases of COVID-19 in Denton County, 422 of which are active, as well as 519 new recoveries. There are now 15,144 active cases in the county.

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

Click here for more information about COVID-19 vaccines in Denton County. 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.