DSHS Accelerates COVID-19 Case Reporting

News Release
March 24, 2020

The Texas Department of State Health Services is updating its method of reporting COVID-19 cases in Texas. In order to provide more timely information, the DSHS daily case count now includes all cases reported publicly by local health departments around the state. With the change, Texas is now reporting 715 cases of COVID-19.

“We want to make sure the public and local leaders have the best possible information in one place as they make decisions about COVID-19,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner. “This new method allows us to share case counts faster.”

DSHS previously received its case information from official case reports provided by local jurisdictions and validated each case before adding it to the online count. That process allowed DSHS to confirm case details but led to slower reporting.

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(News Media Contact: Chris Van Deusen, DSHS Director of Media Relations, 512-776-7119)

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