Coronavirus News

Coronavirus cases are surfacing in Dallas-Fort Worth, but don't panic

It's a gnarly looking bugger.

CDC

The coronavirus has officially hit Dallas-Fort Worth, with two cases in Dallas, one in Tarrant County, and three in Collin County.

A case also surfaced in East Texas.

Dallas County confirmed its first presumptive positive case on March 9. Presumptive is the word of the day; all of the coronavirus cases are being described as "presumptive," meaning "of the nature of a presumption; presumed in the absence of further information."

The first Dallas case is a 77-year-old with an extensive travel history who traveled out of state. The individual is currently being treated at a Dallas-area hospital. The second case in Dallas is an acquaintance of that 77-year-old. Maybe his wife.

According to a March 10 release from the city of Fort Worth, the Tarrant County patient traveled to a conference in Kentucky at the end of February. Tarrant County health officials did not reveal the patient's identity.

"Because of the sensitive nature of this information, we are not allowed to provide specific information about the patient," said Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja in a statement.

In Collin County, the patients are a Frisco couple and their 3-year-old child; the couple has three other children who are not affected. The man took a business trip to Silicon Valley in February and began experiencing symptoms in late February-early March.

Every story about coronavirus must end with advice on preventing infection and further spread, and those are to observe the precautions you might take to avoid the flu.

To wit:

Wash your hands often with soap and water, or use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Avoid touching your face, eyes, nose, and mouth.
Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Stay home if you get sick.
If you cough or sneeze, cover it with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
Clean and disinfect objects and surfaces.

For most people, the coronavirus causes only mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. For some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause severe complications, including pneumonia.

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Texas shocks as America's No. 3 least safe state in 2026 report

Photo by Hiroshi Kimura on Unsplash

Texas ranks as the 48th "safest" state — out of 50.

While no state is invulnerable, some do more to protect their residents than others. And a new study has declared Texas one of the five least safe states in America.

WalletHub's "Safest States in America (2026)" report examined all 50 states for their emergency preparedness and for residents' personal and residential, financial, workplace, and road safety. Factors that weighed into the rankings include specific crime rates per capita, the share of the population that is uninsured, road quality ratings, workplace injury statistics, and more.

Texas ranked at the bottom of the list as the 48th "safest" state — or the third least safe state. It's joined by several other Southern states, like Mississippi (No. 50), Louisiana (No. 49), Florida (No. 47), and Arkansas (No. 46).

According to WalletHub, Texas specifically ranks third to last in the nationwide "emergency preparedness" category, which was determined based on the prevalence of climate disasters causing $1 billion or more in damages from 1980-2024, and the loss amount resulting from those disasters.

The Lone Star State also ranked 40th (or 10th worst) across three safety categories: personal and residential safety, financial safety, and road safety. The report additionally found that Texas has the highest rate of uninsured residents nationally.

Texas' "workplace safety" was the state's highest-ranking category, landing 30th nationally.

Additional rankings that determined Texas' overall safety include:

No. 30 – Assaults per capita
No. 32 – Fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 full-time workers
No. 32 – Sex offenders per capita
No. 35 – Murders and non-negligent manslaughters per capita
No. 36 – Fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel
No. 41 – Loss amounts from climate disasters per capita

According to the report, the five safest states in America are all located in the Northeast. Vermont leads as the country's safest state in 2026, followed by Massachusetts (No. 2), Maine (No. 3), New Hampshire (No. 4), and Connecticut (No. 5).

Though every state has varying levels of safety, WalletHub analyst Chip Lupo asserted that the safest places in the U.S. categorically invest in protecting their residents. Top-ranking states have low crime rates and diligently maintain their road infrastructure, and other states that prioritize their residents' safety have "strong economies and job markets that prevent people from falling into dangerous financial situations."

"[The safest states in America] have high levels of occupational safety and disaster preparedness, too," Lupo said. "In addition, states are made safer by efforts that individual residents take, such as forming a neighborhood watch or working in firefighting and EMT jobs at high rates."

safety texas wallethub reports