Five More Dead from COVID-19 and 99 New Confirmed Positive Cases in First Weekend of August in Maverick County, Total Now 44 Deaths and 2,088 Cases
By: Ricardo E. Calderon, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc., Copyright 2020
The deadly novel coronavirus remains relentless and unabated in Maverick County during the first weekend of August 1-3, 2020 with five more local citizens dead and 99 new confirmed positive COVID-19 cases reported on Monday, August 3, according to Eagle Pass Mayor Luis E. Sifuentes.
Mayor Sifuentes stated that a cumulative total of 11,406 people in Maverick County have had a COVID-19 test administered with 2,088 positive results, 8,800 negative results, 518 pending results, 1,112 recovered people, 932 active cases, 64 hospitalized patients, 44 fatalities, and a positivity rate increase to 19.2, the highest rate to date.
Sifuentes noted that the five persons who died from COVID-19 during the weekend included two females with one age 49 and another age 73 and three men with ages 67, 83, and 95. Sifuentes added that all five persons had underlying health conditions.
Sifuentes pointed out that the total number of hospitalized patients increased to 64 with 19 in the Intensive Care Unit with 18 positive and one pending results, 34 in the Medical Floor with 32 positive and two pending results, and 11 in the Emergency Room with seven positive and four pending results. Of these 64 patients, 14 of them are on ventilators. Sifuentes added that hospitals in San Antonio, Texas are now accepting transfer patients from Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center in Eagle Pass limited to those who are in critical conditions.
Sifuentes highlighted that Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo, himself, Eagle Pass and Maverick County Emergency Operations Center representatives, and Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center representatives had a virtual video conference with Governor Greg Abbott, Chief of Staff Luis Saenz, and Texas Division of Emergency Management Director Nim Kidd on Friday, July 31, 2020 to discuss the COVID-19 pandemic status and the capacity at the sole hospital in the county, Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center.
Sifuentes noted that Maverick County presented a new initiative to Governor Abbott during the video conference of having all home health providers within the county of being tested for COVID-19 by the Texas National Guard medical team due to a recent surge of infections among home health providers in the community. Sifuentes estimated there are over 2,000 home health providers working in Maverick County and local public health officials deem it important that they all be tested for COVID-19 to avoid community spread. Sifuentes reported Governor Abbott had liked the initiative presented to him by Maverick County public officials and would take it under advisement.
Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo expressed his deepest condolences to the families of the five local citizens who passed away from COVID-19 during the weekend. Saucedo lamented the fact that the month of August 2020 had started as deadly as the month of July had ended with these five additional deaths in the community.
Saucedo admonished all Maverick County citizens to obey and follow the CDC Guidelines to wear a face mask in public, wash hands with soap regularly, use hand sanitizer, practice social and physical distancing of a minimum of six feet, avoid gatherings outside of one’s immediate household family, limit travel to essential matters, and stay at home to avoid the transmission of the COVID-19 virus within the community.
