More than 40 new COVID-19 cases confirmed in McLennan County

June 21, 2020 steven

WACO, Texas (KWTX) – The Waco-McLennan County Public Health District on Saturday confirmed 41 new cases of COVID-19.

At total of 303 people have tested positive for the virus in the county since the pandemic began. The virus has claimed the life of 5 people, while 145 have recovered.

County health officials said there are currently 153 active cases. Nine of the cases involve people who are receiving treatment in the hospital, including six who are in critical condition.

The county said 712 people are being actively monitored, which includes positive cases and their close contacts.

Over the past two weeks, “McLennan County has seen a rapid increase in number of COVID-19 cases. As Texas continues to reopen, it is important to remember that COVID-19 has not been contained. The virus is still circulating in our community. As more people are going back to regular routines, the opportunity for exposure to COVID-19 increases,” the County said.

Health officials said there are five clusters involving households.

If there is a COVID-19 positive person in your home, there are steps you can take to minimize the risk of exposure to the rest of the people in the home:

The sick person should not leave the house. Have a someone else run errands for the sick person.
As much as possible, have the sick person stay in a specific room and away from other people and pets in the home. This includes all actives including eating meals or watching TV together.
Assign one person to take care of the sick person. This person should maintain a 6 ft distance when possible, wear a cloth face covering and wash their hands after each interaction with the sick person.
If possible, the sick person should use a separate bathroom. It that is not possible, keep the sick person’s personal items, like a toothbrush and towels separate and disinfect high touch areas after every use.
If the sick person needs to be around other people or animals, they should wear a cloth face covering.

On Friday, Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver issued an executive order all employees and visitors of a business to wear face coverings in there are with a large group of people and it is difficult to practice social distancing. The order also applied to all public places.

Social Distancing guidelines:

Keep 6 feet apart from others. Respiratory droplets generally can travel 6 feet in the air. The closer you are to a person the easier it is for the droplets to reach you.
Wear a face covering to lessen the spread of respiratory droplets when you speak. The face covering creates a barrier that stops the droplets before they spread to another person. Your face covering protects the people around you.
Washing your hands. If you have the droplets on you hand and you touch your face, you are putting the virus into your body. Washing your hands frequently removes the virus from your body.
Clean and disinfect surfaces. Keep surfaces like door handles and counters clean to stop contamination by the virus.

Source link