132 Maverick Countians Participate in Free COVID-19 Drive-Thru Test Screenings on May 9, 2020 in Eagle Pass, Texas
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
A total of 132 people from Maverick County, Texas participated in the free COVID-19 Drive-Thru Test Screenings held on Saturday, May 9, 2020, at the City of Eagle Pass International Center for Trade in Eagle Pass, Texas, announced Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes.
Mayor Sifuentes posted on May 9, 2020 in his Facebook Page “thanks to Governor Abbott and the Texas National Guard for testing 132 citizens today. We thank Our Community for responding to the free testing to ensure that we identify as many as possible [people] who may have the virus.”
The Saturday, May 9, 2020 Free COVID-19 Drive-Thru Test Screenings were sponsored by the Texas Department of State Health Services and the Texas National Guard. This was the second time the State of Texas has held a free COVID-19 Drive-Thru Test Screenings in Eagle Pass, Texas. The first was held on April 26, 2020 and a total of 115 people were tested.
The May 9th free COVID-19 test screenings’ 132 people tested surpassed the April 26th screenings by 17. The total number of the two State of Texas free COVID-19 drive-thru test screenings held in Maverick County is 247 people.
Only people with symptoms of COVID-19 such as fever, cough, or shortness of breath were tested at these two screening dates.
Scientific studies have shown that many positive COVID-19 carriers are asymptomatic, that is, people without exhibiting the known symptoms of COVID-19. Scientists estimate that between 25% to 70% of people with positive COVID-19 cases are asymptomatic, varying by study and region in the United States.
Asymptomatic cases have been detected among nursing homes and assisted living senior centers, veterans living centers, meatpacking companies, construction worksites, detention centers, county jails, prisons, law enforcement departments, first responder agencies, and others.
Public health experts recommend that all people living and/or working in these known asymptomatic magnet places for COVID-19 should be tested to prevent the community spread of the deadly virus.
President Donald J. Trump’s White House has now been infected with a COVID-19 outbreak as several key aides, including Vice-President Mike Pence’s Press Secretary Katie Miller, have tested positive for COVID-19, requiring that three top scientists on the COVID-19 Task Force undergo self-isolation including Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the leading infectious disease expert in the United States. Also having to self-isolate or quarantine are Dr. Robert Redfield, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and Dr. Stephen Hahn, the commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
White House and Trump economic adviser Kevin Hassett stated on Sunday, May 10, 2020, in an interview in CBS News “Face the Nation” that “It is scary to go to work.”
As of May 10, 2020, the Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center reported a total of 79,528 total deaths in the United States due to COVID-19 and a total of 283,000 worldwide. Over 1.3 Million people have tested positive for COVID-19 in the United States while over 4 Million worldwide have tested positive.
Although Governor Abbott has reopened Texas businesses and economy while the number of positive COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Texas, Texans are encouraged to exercise social distancing, wear face masks, wash their hands, use sanitizer, and limit travel or visits to essential matters.
