Healthcare – Page 5 – The Other Side Dallas

November 15, 2020November 15, 2020

#BREAKING: Dallas ISD Considering Return To Virtual Only Instruction

Virtual only instruction may be returning to Dallas ISD after the Thanksgiving Break per two sources in Dallas ISD administration meaning another major change to the Dallas ISD calendar.

Dallas ISD has shut down Caillet Elementary, a 586-student campus located in Northwest Dallas, this week over concerns about the coronavirus spreading among the school’s staff and students.

Virtual only instruction, or online classes, were mandated after five positive cases among staff and students within the span of a week.

The campus is the second school in Dallas ISD to be temporarily closed because of COVID19 concerns. Hotchkiss Elemenyary was closed in mid-October for three days, allowing school administrators and central staff to track down those who might have been in contact with positive cases, and perform a deep clean of the school.

Caillet will be closed until Nov. 17 when in-person instruction is expected to resume. On Nov. 16, rapid COVID tests will be provided to teachers and staff in the morning, and students in the afternoon.

According to the DISD’s tracker, there have been close to 900 cases of COVID19 among staff, teachers and students since the district started reporting data October 5, 2020. Almost a third of those cases have happened since the start of November, reflecting a larger trend of cases in Dallas County and Texas.

The state is closing in on one million confirmed cases of COVID-19, and Dallas County hit a single-day record on Tuesday, with 1,401 cases.

Jennifer Finley, the district’s director of health services, said that county health officials have indicated that there’s likely a wave of cases on the way.

With the holiday season — and flu season — right around the corner, and a general level of “COVID fatigue” in the community, Finley said she could potentially see a rise in cases within the school system.

COVID response teams have been created on each campus, and the district has been “trying to ramp up” its staff for contact tracing, Finley said, “as to not exceed our bandwidth” if cases at schools do start to climb.

At the beginning of the month, Dallas County officials reported 1500 new cases per day. Dallas County has clearly returned as a hot zone for infection rate well beyond our July numbers.

What Does A Return To Virtual Only Instruction Mean?

Dallas ISD’s Board of Trustees had already planned to take up lowering educational goals due to COVID19 at their Thursday, November 19 Board of Trustees meeting. Now it appears they will also consider a return to virtual only instruction predicting lowered standards will become the norm.

It is not clear if teachers whose pay is based on student success will enjoy this same standard on goal changes with a move back to virtual only instruction.

It should be noted that two Trustees have already gone on record saying if possible students should be learning virtually.

November 11, 2020November 11, 2020

November COVID19

The November COVID19 numbers continue to be a headache for both local politicians, businesses, and residents as cases are rising quicker than expected. On Tuesday Dallas County health officials reported 1400 more COVID19 cases — all presumed new and the highest single-day total of the pandemic.

In July, Dallas was considered a “hot zone” because we were averaging more than two hundred cases per day. Dallas is now running between five and seven times that number. This may cause local hospitals to move to a surge capacity model.

Currently, the county is running out of available hospital beds. Per county data, the inventory of adult ICU beds was 52 as of Tuesday — one of its lowest points since the virus’s peak in July. The figure does not include beds that hospitals can add if needed. Each hospital has its own surge plan, which could include doubling up beds in rooms and converting surgical centers, but COVID19 is not the only user of bed space.

Every fall and winter elderly patients suffering from influenza use ICU space. Additionally, victims of car wrecks, heart attacks, and strokes all need these beds also.

“We are 7-10 days away from reaching our highest COVID hospitalization census to date if we do not immediately renew our resolve and change our behaviors,” County Judge Clay Jenkins said in a written statement.

According to Jenkins’ chief of staff, Lauren Trimble, Dallas County epidemiologists have recently spent less time sorting through which cases came from the state’s reporting system, since there have been so few older or backlogged cases.

Health officials use hospitalizations, ICU admissions, and emergency room visits as COVID19 tracking metrics to evaluate impact in Dallas. In the 24-hour period that ended Monday, 479 COVID-19 patients were in acute care in hospitals in the county. During the same period, 431 ER visits were for symptoms of the disease.

Dallas ISD November COVID19 Numbers

The cases in Dallas ISD are no better.

Between the first day back, October 5, 2020, and November 9, 2020, Dallas ISD is reporting an eighteen fold increase in COVID19 cases. This rise is occuring in all areas: central staff, school staff, and students. These numbers seem to match Dallas County at large which recently reported 1500 cases in a single day.

November 3, 2020November 3, 2020

1500 New COVID19 Cases

County Judge Clay Jenkins reported 1500 new COVID19 cases in Dallas on Monday. Dallas County Health and Human Services reported 1,517 new COVID19 cases in Dallas for a cumulative total nearing 100,000 confirmed cases, including 1,119 confirmed deaths.

For the 477 new confirmed cases, 375 came through the Texas Department of State Health Services’ electronic laboratory reporting system and one is from March.

The provisional seven-day average of daily new confirmed and probable cases (by date of test collection) for CDC week 43 has increased to 652 — the highest daily average of new cases since July – when Dallas was considered in the hot zone for infections.

Dallas ISD has had a significant increase in COVID19 infections also. They nearly tripled their caseload in only the first week. A provisional total of 587 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases were diagnosed in school-aged children (5 to 17 years) during CDC week 43 – over twice the numbers of children diagnosed in this age group 4 weeks earlier (CDC week ending 9/26/2020).

Most Of 1500 New COVID19 Cases Coming From Clinics

“The large amount of cases today can be attributed to this data dump representing cases that were performed over a 15-day period,” explained Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins in a statement. “This is not really a backlog, but rather a bulk upload from outpatient clinics that have ramped up antigen testing this month. With the numbers that we are seeing, it is increasingly important that we wear a mask and avoid crowds. You know what to do, we just need to all do it.”

October 26, 2020October 26, 2020

Fewer Rats In Dallas

Rats have taken to the streets of Chicago, again, but Dallas falls one spot to sixteenth rattiest city in the nation. Orkin released its Top 50 Rattiest Cities List today, and for the sixth consecutive time, the Windy City takes the top spot. New to the Top 10 this year is Baltimore, taking the eighth spot, and moving into the Top 20 is San Diego, rising 13 spots to secure the #19 ranking.

The Issue: Rats

In an unprecedented year, the visibility of rodents has increased, creating concern for homeowners and business owners alike. As reported in the Spring, the pandemic-driven closure of restaurants forced rodents to find new food sources. Without food waste to consume, these pests were seen scavenging new areas and exhibiting unusual or aggressive behavior. The presence of rodents became so relevant that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued Rodent Control guidance on ways to keep rats and mice out of homes and businesses.

As we approach colder months, rodent activity will only continue increasing as these pests seek shelter in warm areas with available food and water. As the U.S. population spends more time at home this season, residents should pay extra attention to the attractants that entice rats and mice.

“Rodents are experts at sniffing out food and shelter, and they’re resilient in their ways to obtain both,” said Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist. “Residential properties offer the ideal habitat for rodents, and once they’ve settled in, they’re capable of reproducing rapidly and in large quantities.”

Rodents are known to cause severe structural damage with their strong jaws and burrowing skills. They have oversized front teeth for gnawing, and they have check teeth, which are adapted for chewing a variety of items, including electrical wires, water pipes and gas lines. “Unfortunately, rodents can cause great damage in and around homes,” said Hottel.

Beyond structural damage, there are multiple health issues associated with rodents, and during a time of heightened awareness around virus transmission, preventing rodents and the harmful pathogens they carry is critical. Rodents are capable of contaminating food through pathogens that can cause food poisoning or Leptospirosis. They can also spread diseases such as Hantavirus and Plague, specifically in the Western U.S., both of which while uncommon, can be fatal.

The good news is, a rat infestation is preventable. To help residents avoid the potential health and safety risks associated with rodents, Orkin recommends the following tips to help prevent rats and mice in and around the home.

The Orkin report comes just a few months after the City of Dallas said they would cut back on bulk trash pickup.

October 12, 2020October 12, 2020

COVID19 Cases Triple In A Week

Dallas ISD‘s COVID19 cases triple. One week after return to campus for hybrid learners Dallas ISD is reporting three times the case load as last week’s numbers.

Initial numbers had Dallas ISD cases at 42 including students, school staff, and central office employees.

September 30, 2020September 30, 2020

Stay On Guard

The City of Dallas is launching Stay On Guard – a public awareness campaign – designed to slow spread of COVID19 through personal testimonials from residents, community leaders and organizations.

“We know this year has been very difficult for many of us and we’re all tired of staying at home, wearing masks, and seeing our friends and loved ones through screens; but now is not the time to let our guard down,” said Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson. “We must continue to encourage each resident to stay on guard as businesses reopen, students return to school, and families participate in fall sporting events and holiday celebrations.”

Stay On Guard

The Stay On Guard campaign focuses on four priorities: home, work, school and health — shining a light on essential workers who live in high density, multigenerational households, those who can’t work from home or may not have the option to maintain social distance from co-workers; children and college students returning to in-person learning and the school staff who are supporting them. The campaign encourages all Dallas residents to Stay on Guard by keeping their health a priority and get a free test when in doubt of their COVID19 status.

“Some of us are already planning holiday celebrations and visits with family and friends, but I want to remind everyone that our fight against the deadly coronavirus is far from over,” said Council Member Thomas. “As a nation we have surpassed a grim milestone of 200,000 thousand deaths due to COVID19 and here in Dallas County, we’ve lost more than 1,000 residents.”

Stay On Guard Dallas is a bilingual campaign that engages residents to become advocates within their communities to slow the spread of COVID19. Dallas residents may creating PSAs and promote them on social media with the tags #StayOnGuard or #EnGuardiaDallas.

Residents and business leaders can find a complete social media strategy in English and Spanish, including sample posts, downloadable logos, social media graphics and more to promote the campaign at DallasCityHall.com/StayOnGuard. Dallas has been described as a hot zone for COVID19 this summer.

“These months will be a very critical for our City, so we ask all Dallas residents to stay safe at home, work, school and take every precaution to stay healthy as we approach cold and flu season,” said Dr. Baggett. “Get tested before you go back to school and work, wear a mask, wash your hands and avoid large crowds.”

The Stay On Guard campaign kicks off at noon Sept. 30 with a virtual proclamation featuring Mayor Johnson, Council Member Thomas, and Dr. Baggett. Watch live on Facebook, YouTube, City of Dallas Cable Channel and Spectrum Ch. 95.

For more information, please visit dallascityhall.com /COVID19 or call 214-670-INFO (4636).