COVID UPDATE: Fourth death reported from COVID
Another fatality due to COVID-19 was recorded in Milam County on Wednesday due to changes to how the state records deaths.
Milam County Judge Steve Young said the Department of State Health Services added one fatality to the Milam County count, upping the death toll to four. Just a month ago DSHS changed how fatalities were reported, deciding to base the numbers on death certificates and county of residence.
Young added that the new death attributed to the county happened some time ago, though when exactly was not clarified.
Another four cases of the virus were also reported Wednesday, taking the Milam County case total to exactly 400. There are 34 active cases. There are 16 cases considered probable, though they are not counted in the numbers. The Milam County Health Department is monitoring 78 people that had close contact with a person that tested positive for the virus. Two people are hospitalized.
Cases have seemed to take a downturn this week.
There were 17 cases reported on Monday with 12 of those coming from the testing that took place in Thorndale last week.
“In Texas the TDSHS reports that there are 550,232 confirmed Texas COVID-19 cases, an increase of 10 percent in the past week,” Milam County Judge Steve Young said. “There are 10,250 confirmed Texas COVID-19 deaths, also an increase of 10 percent in the past week. While hospitalizations have decreased, community spread continues and the virus is not under control. As the flu season approaches, continued mitigation through facial coverings, social distancing and crowd avoidance remain essential. The state has deployed over 4,000 supplemental medical personnel for testing and treatment assistance. Coronavirus vaccine research continues, but it will not be available during the fall. In the meantime, wear your mask, keep your distance and wash your hands.”
Young said with school beginning last week this is a good time to see a downturn in cases.
“Our superintendents are working hard to make sure we return to school safely,” he said. “This virus is so contagious. We tell everyone to keep their masks on and stay apart, but then we say we are going to start school and play sports. How do we do that? They have worked so hard and diligently to make these plans. We are about a week into it and there haven’t been any surprises yet.”
He said numbers are going down and that is a wonderful thing.
“This mask order went into effect on June 29, so we are almost two months into in,” he said. “It took a month before we saw the downward trend. Yesterday we only had five cases, and there was a peak when we were reporting 18 or so a day. The bad news is this virus isn’t under control. Think back to when we started and we didn’t think five cases a day was low. Today everything is open for business. I am proud of those who are doing what is asked of them. Wear a mask, keep your distance and wash your hands.”
There are currently half a million confirmed cases in the state of Texas and over 10,000 deaths.
“I am not trying to scare anyone, I just want people to take head it is serious,” Young said. “You can’t close your eyes and it will go away. Don’t let up and take your foot off the gas. We have been working hard to help in every way we can.”
Young said the county is still on point to begin its testing program Sept. 1.
“We have partnered with all the mayors and city councils in the county and put together a testing program to test everyone in the county,” he said. “We need to be able to test everyone and get them to stay home and not spread it.”
The county is awaiting a delivery of 1,000 masks to get started testing. Young said they county has hired two nurses and are in the process of completing paper work with the state to be able to report correctly.
The funding for the rapid testing will come from the CARES Act funding received by the county and municipalities.