Maverick County Spikes to 24 Confirmed Positive COVID-19 Cases
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
Maverick County Local Health Authority Dr. Victoriano Valdez announced at the joint Maverick County and City of Eagle Pass daily press conference regarding COVID-19 held on Wednesday, April 29, 2020, that the Texas Department of State Health Services advised local governmental entities that the total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases in Maverick County had spiked from 16 to 22, confirming the community spread of the lethal Coronavirus within Maverick County.
Dr. Valdez stated that the more people are administered the COVID-19 test in Maverick County, the more people are going to test positive for it since many are asymptomatic carriers of the virus without knowing they are positive while infecting others within the community as they go about their daily business. Since there is not yet a vaccine or treatment to cure a human being from COVID-19, the best one can do is to get tested for the virus to determine if one has it or had it, and, if the test is positive, to conduct a trace of all the people with whom one has had during the past 14 days so they too can get tested, and eventually get medical treatment with what is currently available for it.
Dr. Valdez, an Internal Medicine physician in Eagle Pass, announced that as of April 29, 2020 a total of 547 people had been tested for COVID-19 with 389 negative cases, 24 positive cases, 134 pending cases awaiting results, seven patients had recovered, and no fatalities in Maverick County.
Dr. Valdez noted that a total of 113 people had been tested on Sunday, April 26, 2020 at the free COVID-19 drive-thru testing clinic sponsored by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas National Guard in Eagle Pass, Texas. Valdez cited these new tests as one of the reasons why the number of positive COVID-19 cases had spiked in Maverick County, including three people from within the same family, two non-related people, and the Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center announced three people had tested positive from their tests conducted.
Dr. Valdez highly recommended to all Maverick County residents to continue observing and comply with the public health emergency orders issued by the City of Eagle Pass and Maverick County and their restrictions to stay-at-home, social distancing (6 feet apart), wear face masks, limit gatherings to family only and 10 or less people, limit travel for essential matters only, wash one’s hands, use hand sanitizer, and get tested if one has one or more of the COVID-19 symptoms such as fever, cough, or nausea/vomiting or diarrhea.
This startling spike of positive COVID-19 cases from 16 to 24 in Maverick County is confirmation of the community spread of the virus within the county. Maverick County residents should not drop their guard down from protecting themselves and their families against COVID-19 even though Texas Governor Greg Abbott has ordered the reopening of the state’s economy and businesses commencing on Friday, May 1, 2020.
