The community “risk level” for COVID-19 in Dallas County is now “Low,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The federal agency determines the risk level based on the metrics for new hospital admissions and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds in use by patients with confirmed COVID-19 over the last seven days.
Currently, the CDC COVID tracker shows that the case rate in Dallas County is 112.81 per 100,000 population, down 31.53% in the last seven days. New COVID-19 hospital admissions are 7.4 per 100,000 population, and the percentage of staffed inpatient beds used by patients with COVID-19 is 4.2%.
If either of the last two metrics rises to 10 or more, the county will move back to the “Medium” risk level.
On Thursday, Dallas County Health and Human Services’ Public Health Committee lowered the county’s COVID-19 risk level rating from Orange to Yellow, which means “Proceed Carefully.” Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins tweeted that the county reported 284 new cases of COVID from specimen collections over the last 14 days and two additional COVID-related deaths.
The CDC advised that Dallas County residents can still wear a mask at any time as a precaution and stated that anyone with symptoms, a positive COVID test, or who has been exposed to someone with COVID should wear a mask.
Although the CDC no longer mandates mask-wearing on public transportation, the agency continues to recommend the practice at this time.
Meanwhile, in neighboring Tarrant County, the COVID-19 case rate is more than double the rate in Dallas, currently at 237.62 per 100,000 population. The COVID-19 hospital admissions in Tarrant County are 15.8 per 100,000 residents, putting the county in the “High” risk category for COVID. The CDC continues to recommend that Tarrant County residents wear a mask both indoors in public spaces and on public transportation.