Maverick County Increases to 94 Positive COVID-19 Cases, Required Quarantine Raised to 21 Days
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes announced at the joint press conference of the City of Eagle Pass and Maverick County held on Wednesday, May 20, 2020, that one new confirmed positive COVID-19 case was reported in Maverick County, Texas by the Texas Department of State Health Services, raising the total number of positive COVID-19 cases to 94.
Mayor Sifuentes stated that a total of 1,600 people in Maverick County have been tested for COVID-19 with 1,177 negative results, 94 positive results, 329 waiting for test results, 18 recovered people, and one fatality as of May 20, 2020.
Mayor Sifuentes noted that many of the people who tested positive for COVID-19 in Maverick County remain testing positive after the 14 days required quarantine, causing Eagle Pass and Maverick County Local Health Authority Dr. Victoriano Valdez to increase the number of required quarantine days from 14 to 21. A person who has tested positive for COVID-19 must test negative before being cleared from quarantine.
Generally, this requires at least 14 days, but this has not been happening. Local Health Authorities have been noticing that positive cases have been taking longer than 14 days to test negative, which varies on an individual case basis. It is not uncommon for positive cases to take greater than 14 days, which is currently being seen throughout the United States. Dr. Valdez has now increased the number of required quarantine days from 14 to 21 as a result of this situation being experienced by Maverick County as well as national COVID-19 patients.
Mayor Sifuentes stated that two of the 94 positive COVID-19 patients in Maverick County are currently hospitalized. Sifuentes also offered his deepest condolences to the family of the first COVID-19 fatality in Maverick County. Sifuentes added that three family members of the 83 year old deceased male have tested positive for COVID-19 and are quarantined.
Mayor Sifuentes noted that currently about 100 tests per day are being conducted in Maverick County by local COVID-19 Screening Test Centers such as United Medical Centers, Maverick County Hospital District, Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, and Stat Emergency Center.
