Some suburbs of Dallas County have seen spikes in new COVID-19 cases in the past two weeks, according to Dallas County health officials.
The Addison, Lancaster, Sachse and Seagoville cases were about 50% above the national rates.
New COVID-19 cases in Cedar Hill, Garland and Rowlett are about 30% higher than the county’s rate.
The Dallas County Department of Health emphasizes that approximately 86% of diagnosed cases in residents are “not fully vaccinated”.
There’s more to the numbers in at least one of these suburbs.
The city of Addison, for example, has only about 16,000 residents, so any increase in cases appears higher than in communities with larger populations.
It is better known for its busy general aviation airport and as a “business city”.
Due to their large business presence, according to city spokeswoman Marty Rosenbleeth, around 100,000 people passed through the city before the pandemic.
Adrian Dydell opened his two barbershop locations about two years ago, just before the pandemic broke out.
The business, he said, actually thrived after they reopened last year.
“Everyone does a pretty good job of hygiene,” said Dydell. “As hairdressers, we disinfect our things after every customer.”
Dydell said he didn’t pay special attention to the pandemic or the cases.
Unaware of the surge in falls in the city, he wonders what could happen next.
“Will it get back to the point where we have to close again,” he said. “This is big for everyone here. It doesn’t just affect me, it affects everyone. My main concern is my hairdressers and my business.”
With 12,000 businesses including 180 restaurants, the city’s spokeswoman points out that 78% of residents have received at least one vaccine so far. The city is one of the few to achieve this percentage.
She still said there were always concerns about an increase. Cases, the county says, especially among those who have chosen not to get vaccinated.
“What customers say when they walk in is they don’t know what’s going to be put into our bodies,” said Dydell, who says he’s in no rush to get his syringe.
“I wouldn’t even say I’m against it, I just didn’t take the time to do it,” Dydell said.
The city spokeswoman said she will contact the Dallas County health department for more information on the increase in cases, to determine what steps are needed.
Also in Tarrant County, the spread of the coronavirus in the community has increased for the second straight week.
In fact, the county health authorities recently raised the warning level to a high level, releasing this statement: “The prevalence rate in the community has increased from nearly 2 percent in June to nearly 12 percent this week, which has resulted in the prevalence rate in the community rose from moderate to significant on Wednesday and is back to high today. By definition, community prevalence occurs when positive cases (positivity rate) exceed 10 percent. Please visit Coronavirus.tarrantcounty.com for more information. “
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