COVID-19 hospitalizations, transmission trending down in Denton County

New COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and transmission are all continuing to trend down in Denton County.

During Tuesday’s Denton County Commissioners Court meeting, Denton County Public Health Chief Epidemiologist Juan Rodriguez said all the key COVID-19 statistics are still headed in the right direction as the Omicron variant wave leaves the county. Rodriguez called it “really good news” that the positive rate is down to about 13%, just a month after it peaked at 35%.

The number of active cases just peaked on Friday with 58,265, and that number is expected to begin plummeting soon as more Omicron patients recover from the virus.

DCPH reported seven COVID-19 deaths last week and five more on Wednesday, including a Lewisville man in his 30s, a Denton man in his 30s, a Flower Mound woman in her 70s and a Corinth woman in her 70s. COVID-19 deaths are considered a “lagging indicator” of COVID-19 surges, as the deaths are usually confirmed to be caused by COVID-19 a couple weeks or months after the death date. The countywide COVID-19 death toll is now 789, according to DCPH data.

“As we announce the death of five community members due to COVID-19, please keep their families in your thoughts and prayers,” Denton County Judge Andy Eads said on Wednesday. “We hope community members will get vaccinated, as vaccination remains the best way to reduce the risk of COVID-19 hospitalization and death.”

DCPH only rules a resident’s death as a COVID-19 death if it is determined that the person died as a direct result of COVID-19. Actual dates of death can be released several days to several months after the date of death, due to various reporting agencies and medical records review.

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

• Get vaccinated and boosted when eligible
• Wear well-fitting masks in public indoor settings
• Test five days after exposure or if you have symptoms of COVID-19
• Isolate, quarantine, and wear a mask when recommended

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.