North Texas Daily

Fifty eight new active cases of COVID-19 have been reported in Denton County as of June 14, increasing the cumulative countywide total to 76,613 cases, according to a press release issued by Denton County Public Health.

With these new numbers, the total number of active cases within the county stands at 2,070. In addition to the recently reported active cases, there have been 92 newly recovered cases of COVID-19, increasing the countywide recovery total to 73,939. Overall, Denton County is on the decline in active cases and on the rise of recovered cases.

In comparison to neighboring counties, Denton County has a lesser number of cases, according to the New York Times COVID-19 case tracker. Between the number of cases in Denton County and Collin County, there is approximately a 20,000-case difference. With other counties such as Tarrant and Dallas, there is approximately a 100,000-case difference.

“Thankfully, within Denton County we’re seeing reduce incidents of COVID-19 cases,” DCPH Division Manager Alex Reed said. “It’s great to see the impact of the vaccination effort and individuals fully vaccinated against COVID-19.”

Reed reported that 49.57 percent of Denton County’s population has been vaccinated against COVID-19. According to the DCPH COVID-19 statistics website, distribution of the vaccine has shown a decrease after people receive their first dose of the vaccine. The number for first dose administration stands at 205,926, while second dose administration stands at 195,728.

Information provided by the Texas Department of State Health Services, which was last updated on May 3, shows this trend of fewer second doses is not present only in Denton County, but in all of Texas. 13,319,460 people have been vaccinated with at least one dose, while 11,074,341 remain fully vaccinated, according to DSHS. It is unclear if these numbers account for those who opted for a one-dose vaccination like Johnson & Johnson.

“I’m perfectly healthy, I don’t have extenuating circumstances, so I wasn’t as worried about getting the higher percentage efficacy with a two-shot dose,” said Allyson Brady, a local resident who received a Johnson & Johnson vaccine. “I wanted to be able to go somewhere one time and only have the one shot to possibly recover from. I don’t like shots, so part of it was comfort.”

People are considered fully vaccinated two weeks after the second dose of a two-dose series or two weeks after a one-dose vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection.

COVID-19 vaccinations in Denton County have been slowly decreasing after hitting a high of 70,209 doses administered in April. DSHS reported the most recent weekly statistic in Denton County at 14,302 administered vaccines from June 7 to the 13.

The aforementioned DCPH press release urges all unvaccinated community members to stay home if they are symptomatic, have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19 or are awaiting COVID-19 test results. The press release also included other ways to minimize the spread by utilizing social distancing, wearing masks or other face coverings that cover the nose and mouth and to wash and sanitize hands frequently.

DCPH is no longer offering COVID-19 testing, but still encourages those 12 years old or over to get a COVID-19 vaccine. 

Answers to general questions and free testing site recommendations can be given by the DCPH COVID-19 hotline. It is available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 940-349-2585.

More information about local COVID-19 vaccine information can be found on the Denton County website. To follow active cases and information by municipality, hospital capacity and ventilator utilization, check out the Denton County COVID-19 statistics website.

Featured Image: Denton County Public Health Building main entrance logo on June 11, 2021. Image by Laura Nunez