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Texas investigates case of COVID-19 without travel or known exposure

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Texas investigates case of COVID-19 without travel or known exposure

Public health officials in Texas are investigating a case of COVID-19, the illness caused by the new coronavirus, in a Montgomery County resident with no out-of-state travel and no identified contact with another person with COVID-19. Montgomery County Public Health continues to work to determine whether there is a connection to another case or whether this is a case of community spread. Community spread occurs when a person contracts an illness from an unknown source.

“With the possibility of spread in one of our communities, now is the time to intensify our efforts to stop the spread of COVID-19 in all our communities,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, DSHS commissioner. “Please continue to take personal preventive actions like washing your hands, disinfecting homes and businesses, and staying home if you’re sick. It’s also vitally important to heed the advice of local leaders because there may be calls to take broader community actions depending on the situation in your area.”

“From the very start, the state of Texas has anticipated the possibility of community spread of COVID-19, and the proactive strategies we have in place were developed with this very scenario in mind,” said Governor Abbott. “State personnel are trained and equipped to respond to this situation, and are actively working to mitigate the impact of community spread. State and agency leaders, including myself, are in constant contact with our federal and local partners to ensure that Texas communities have the resources and the most up to date information to protect public health. Texas is prepared with the necessary protocols to face this challenge, and I encourage all Texans to follow the preventative guidelines from state, federal, and local agencies.”

There are things everyone can do to help prevent the spread of COVID-19:

  • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.
  • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then wash your hands.
  • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.

Additionally, local authorities may implement actions like suspending large events, closing places where many residents gather, and encouraging people to keep six feet of physical separation between them. Residents should monitor the situation in their area and follow the recommendations of local leaders.

Minimizing exposure is especially important for people who are 65 or older or who have an underlying health condition like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, high blood pressure or cancer. People in those groups have a higher risk of developing severe disease if they do get COVID-19, and the safest thing for them during an outbreak will be to stay home as much as possible and minimize close contact with other people. To get ready, they should talk to their doctor about getting additional prescription medications and have enough household items and groceries on hand to stay home as needed.

Testing is available through public health and private laboratories, and capacity continues to grow. People who experience COVID-19 symptoms like fever, cough and shortness of breath should contact their health care provider and follow their instructions on being assessed.

To date, Texas has had 21 confirmed or presumptive cases of COVID-19. DSHS is posting the latest information, guidance for the public, health care providers and others, and updating case counts daily at www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus.

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covid19

President unveils plan to open up America again

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President Donald Trump on Thursday presented a three-phase plan to reopen America again, but it the decisions on how states proceed with those guidelines will remain with the state governors.
During a lengthy press conference the president called the recommendations, “the next front in our war, which is called opening up America again.” Surrounded by his pandemic task force, Trump explained the strategies will be based on hard, verifiable data and benchmarks must be met at each phase. He continued it is implementable on a statewide or county-by-county basis at the discretion of each state’s governor.
As of Thursday more than 32,000 people had died from Coronavirus in the United States. In addition, more than 22 million people have filed first-time claims for unemployment insurance during the last four weeks as the job market in every sector of the economy has been devastated by the pandemic and the resulting restrictions.
Before implementing any of these guidelines a “gating” criteria must be met by the state or the region. It includes a downward trajectory of documented case within a 14-day period or a downward trajectory of positive tests as a percent of total tests with a 14-day period (flat or increasing volume of tests) as well as hospital preparedness, which includes treating all patients without crisis care and a robust testing program in place for at-risk healthcare workers including emerging antibody testing.
The guidelines, it was reported, represent the “consensus of medical professionals,” including Dr. Deborah Birx, White House Coronavirus response coordinator; Dr. Anthony Fauci, the government’s top infectious disease expert and Dr. Stephen Hahn, head of the Food and Drug Administration.

Click on the link below to read the full plan to reopen America.

https://bowienewsonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/guildine-to-reopen-smaller.pdf

Read the full story on the guidelines and response from Texas Governor Greg Abbott from his Friday news conference in the weekend Bowie News.

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covid19

Sunset area virus patient dies late Friday afternoon

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Montague County experienced its first death from the Coronavirus Friday as Dr. Delbert McCaig, county health authority, reported a Sunset area patient died Friday while being treated in Wise County.
McCaig said it was very sad news to report, especially in light of other patients who have now been cleared. The 68-year-old patient was taken by ambulance to Wise Regional on April 15 and died April 17. He added they didn’t even know about it until now, explaining the only address on the state report was a post office box in Sunset.
As of Friday noon the county had seen a total of six positive cases of the virus. All three patients from Nocona are now cleared and no longer contagious along with one in Silver Lakes. One case at Ringgold earlier this week turned out to be a Wichita County resident who has a farm in Ringgold and was moved to that city’s stats.
The case of a Saint Jo patient who tested positive outside the county remains open, said McCaig, as the Department of Health Services has not been able to confirm the Saint Jo case based on the address and phone number presented by the person when they went to Denton Mid-Cities for testing. It will remain open until he is found.
There are two other pending cases where patients have been taken to hospitals in Wichita Falls and Decatur for treatment and awaiting test results.

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COUNTY LIFE

One new positive case reported today at Ringgold

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COVID-19 UPDATE – Montague County added one more positive COVID-19 case today as County Health Authority Dr. Delbert McCaig said the case was reported to him this afternoon by state officials and involves a person at Ringgold. This makes a total of six cases, plus one more positive for a patient reportedly at Saint Jo, but state officials have told McCaig they have not been able to confirm the person is at the address listed and the phone number does not respond.

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