‘Eyes of Texas’ are Upon Maverick County as Record 31 New Confirmed Positive COVID-19 Cases Spike Total to 199
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
Maverick County reported a record high daily number of 31 confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on Monday, June 15, 2020, surpassing the previous daily high of 17 on May 15, bringing the total number to 199, announced County Judge David R. Saucedo.
County Judge Saucedo stated that a total of 3,911 people in Maverick County have been administered a COVID-19 test with 3,471 negative results, 199 positive results, 241 are waiting test results, 56 have recovered, and two fatalities as of June 15, 2020. Of the 199 positive cases, 141 people remain active with the coronavirus in Maverick County.
Saucedo highlighted that these new 31 cases are from community spread as people are gathering in large family activities and not following social distancing guidelines like wearing face masks. Most of the new 31 cases are from four families in the community.
Saucedo noted that the rapid increase of positive cases in Maverick County has ”caught the eyes of the Texas Governor’s Office” as Nim Kidd, Texas’ COVID-19 Czar, texted Saucedo asking what is happening in Maverick County with the spike of cases. Saucedo replied to Kidd that one of the reasons for the increase is that Maverick County has had a larger percentage of people testing for COVID-19 compared to other communities in the region.
Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes encouraged all residents of Maverick County to continue wearing face masks when in public and in group settings to avoid the spread of the lethal virus.
Maverick County is facing a surge of positive COVID-19 cases just as the state of Texas is experiencing a rapid increase of cases and hospitalizations due to coronavirus. The Texas Department of State Health Services reported a total of 2,326 patients with COVID-19 are hospitalized in Texas as of June 15, 2020, a record high of statewide hospitalizations. Similarly, Texas reported a total of 1,254 new positive COVID-19 cases on June 15, 2020, bringing the total to 89,108 cases with 1,983 fatalities out of 1,314,761 people tested and another 149,090 tested with the antibody test. A total of 238 counties of the 254 in Texas have reported one or more positive COVID-19 cases.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott in a television interview on June 15 stated that too many young Texans in their 20s are not taking COVID-19 seriously and recommended they take precautionary measures such as wearing face masks in public. Texas has seen a rise in positive COVID-19 cases since Mother’s Day and Memorial Day festivities. The spike of positive cases has caused the City of Austin and Travis County to reissue their Stay at Home order and recommend that businesses limit capacity to 25% instead of the 50% and 75% allowed by Governor Abbott.
The United States leads the world in the total number of confirmed positive COVID-19 cases with a total of 2,124,000 and a total number of 116,210 deaths related to COVID-19 as of June 15, 2020, according to the New York Times.
