Dallas County COVID-19 Updated

Last Updated: January 10, 2022 at 8:15AM

The Delta variant is now widespread in North Texas which requires us to revise, update, and reframe our recommendations. We now have an important, new tool to fight the pandemic with effective vaccines to prevent COVID-19. Increasing vaccination coverage remains the number one priority to reduce transmission and the risk of additional emerging variants. The updated Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance for fully vaccinated individuals (see links below) is based on how remarkably effective these vaccines are at reducing and preventing severe illness, hospitalizations, and death.

This CDC guidance describes what activities may be safely resumed by fully vaccinated persons. It also indicates that additional precautions are recommended in areas of high or substantial spread, especially of the highly infectious Delta variant such as is occurring in North Texas.

Due to the widespread availability of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines as well as the increasing vaccination rates in Dallas and the surrounding counties, the Public Health Committee has updated its public guidance to redefine risk among vaccinated and unvaccinated individuals. We cannot anticipate every situation and are therefore providing a framework to help everyone critically assess activities to make the best personal decision but also to provide tips on how to make activities safer.

Over the past 18 months, we have witnessed a dynamic and rapidly changing pandemic that has required ongoing changes in recommendations. Since inception, our goal is to make this a "living" document and we will change it as rapidly as science and data require.

Finally, ending this pandemic requires everyone to help! We want to get back to normal, too. In order to do that, we need everyone who can get vaccinated to get vaccinated. Until then we need everyone to continue following proven intervention measures to reduce spread. Please help us help you! View the full Health Guidance for the Public (PDF) report please.

View the Dallas County website for the latest information from Dallas County.