Maverick County Hits Second Consecutive Week of 10 COVID-19 Deaths as Two More and 72 Confirmed Positive Cases Reported on July 29, 2020, Bringing Total to 36 Deaths and 1,802 Cases
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
The silent and invisible novel coronavirus once again struck Maverick County with devastating consequences claiming the lives of two more citizens and 72 new confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, July 29, 2020, marking the second consecutive week of 10 deaths related to COVID-19 and raising the cumulative total to 36 deaths and 1,802 positive cases.
Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo gave his deepest condolences to the family members of the two deceased persons and lamented the spiraling number of Maverick County citizens succumbing to the deadly coronavirus, a total of 36 as of July 29.
Last week, Maverick County reported 10 deaths from COVID-19. This week, Maverick County reported five deaths on Monday, July 27, three more deaths on Tuesday, July 28, and now two more on Wednesday, July 29, with two more days left in the week, tying last week’s total of 10 deaths. Regretfully, Maverick County will more than likely establish a new high for deaths related from COVID-19 this week at the rate that the coronavirus has spread within the community.
Saucedo reported a total of 10,766 people in Maverick County have been administered a COVID-19 test with 1,802 positive results, 8,168 negative results, 796 pending test results, 890 active cases, 876 recovered, 67 hospitalized, 36 fatalities, and the positivity rate increased to an astronomical 18.1 percent, its highest rate to date.
Saucedo noted that of the 67 hospitalized patients at Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, there are 14 in the Intensive Care Unit with 10 positive and four pending test results, 33 in the Medical Floor with 26 positive and seven pending test results, 17 in the Emergency Room with four positive and 13 pending test results, and three in the Women’s Post-Partum Department with two positive and one pending test result. A total of 13 patients are currently on ventilators at the local hospital as of July 29.
Saucedo highlighted that the Eagle Pass and Maverick County Emergency Operations Center beefed up its contact tracing force by adding 13 new employees, 12 of which are from the City of Eagle Pass employees that had been furloughed and now returned to work.
Maverick County deaths associated with COVID-19, a cumulative total of 36 to date, are part of a current trend in the State of Texas and United States with fatalities mounting in record numbers such as over 151,000 nationally. Texas alone reported a new single day high record of fatalities with 313 on July 29, 2020, bringing the state’s cumulative total of COVID-19 deaths to 6,190.
With 95 percent of the population of 60,000 in Maverick County being Hispanic and over one-third (33.33%) being uninsured and in the poverty level, Maverick County is typical of other U.S.-Mexico border counties experiencing a high rate of infections and deaths related to COVID-19, demonstrating there are racial disparities among Texans and Americans being afflicted by the deadly coronavirus.
According to the Texas Tribune, “Hispanic Texans make up about 40% of the state’s population, but they account for 48% of its known COVID-19 fatalities. Black Texans also appear slightly over represented in the fatality toll, representing 14% of fatalities but just 12% of the state population….By contrast, white and Asian Texans died at lower rates relative to their share of the state’s population.”
Public health experts opine that the COVID-19 disparities are an accurate picture of society before the pandemic struck with Hispanics and Blacks having lower median income levels than whites, lower health insurance coverage, higher uninsured rates, lack of access to health care, higher levels of essential workers with low-wage jobs, and higher pre-existing medical conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and other health conditions.
Texas is one of the hottest states for the most COVID-19 infections and deaths from COVID-19 since the Memorial Day Holiday in late-May and for having reopened its economy and businesses too early before slowing the curve of infections.
Texas reported a total of 9,042 new confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on Wednesday, July 29, 2020 as well as 313 deaths and 9,595 hospitalized patients due to COVID-19, bringing the cumulative statewide totals to 403,307 positive cases, 6,190 deaths from COVID-19, and a positivity rate of 12.5% over the last week.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Republican Party leaders first asked Texans to sacrifice their parents and grandparents to COVID-19 (Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick) and now are asking Texans to sacrifice their children to COVID-19 by sending them back to school in August or September for live in-person instruction, threatening them that their public school districts risk losing state funding if they do not send their children back to school for in-class instruction. Texas state leaders have failed Texans and heightened their risk of becoming infected with COVID-19 with their chaotic and inconsistent policies.
Nationally, the United States is in complete disarray and chaos combating the lethal COVID-19 virus because there is no specific national strategic plan against the virus by President Donald J. Trump and his White House Administration, leaving it to each state, county, and city to take responsibility for the liability and consequences of the virus. The United States reported a whopping 68,460 new confirmed positive COVID-19 cases on July 29, 2020, bringing the total to 4,435,300 cases and over 151,000 deaths that may not have happened if there had been a national plan like other countries did and have successfully slowed the virus until a vaccine is developed for it.
Public health experts predict that fatalities due to COVID-19 in the United States might reach over 225,000 by November 3, 2020, the date of the Presidential Election and Texas General Election.
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