Denton County COVID-19 death toll passes 600

Throughout the week, Denton County Public Health announced that eight more Denton County residents’ deaths were the result of COVID-19, bringing the countywide COVID-19 death toll to 604.

The deaths reported this week include a man in his 70s who lived in unincorporated southwest Denton County (which includes Lantana), a man in his 40s who lived in The Colony, a Little Elm man in his 60s, a Frisco woman in her 60s, a Carrollton man over 80, a man in his 70s who lived in unincorporated southeast Denton County, and a man and a woman over 80 who lived in unincorporated northeast Denton County.

DCPH Director Dr. Matt Richardson has said multiple times that DCPH only rules a resident’s death as a COVID-19 death if it is determined that the person died as a result of COVID-19, not when someone has COVID-19 but dies primarily of another cause.

There are now 2,152 active COVID-19 cases in the county, a number that was declining swiftly a few months ago but is now declining at a much slower rate. During Tuesday’s Denton County Commissioners Court meeting, Richardson said that while the numbers are improving, the pandemic is not over yet.

“We haven’t won the war, but boy, it looks really positive comparatively (to the winter months),” he said.

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
• When eligible and available to you, get your COVID-19 vaccine

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.