MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Texas — Montgomery County health officials confirmed Thursday the county has its second and third presumptive positive cases of COVID-19.
Montgomery County Public Health District said a woman, who is in her 40s, resides in south Montgomery County and is being treated at a hospital in Montgomery County. The other case is a man in his 40s who resides in northwest Montgomery County and his only travel was to Florida, officials said.
Officials said they are still awaiting CDC confirmation of the positive results.
This case is still under investigation, and the information is limited at this time. MCPHD has confirmed the woman traveled to New Orleans recently, but she has not traveled abroad.
MCPHD also continues to monitor a presumptive positive case of a northwest Montgomery County resident; as of Thursday morning, officials are still awaiting CDC confirmation of the positive result.
The man, who is in his 40s, is still currently hospitalized in a hospital in Montgomery County.
The Patton Village Police department confirmed that the first presumptive positive case in Montgomery County is one of their officers. They said the officer is in his 40s and performs administrative functions within the department.
The officer hasn't issued any citations, made any arrests and answered no calls of service in the last two weeks. He has had little to no contact with the public.
Officials said he hasn't been with the department since Feb. 27 and is currently being hospitalized.
The city said they have no reason to believe that anyone in the city has been put at risk. As soon as they found out the officer was not feeling well measures were taken to disinfect areas.
Because of the cases, the county decided to issue a Declaration of Local Disaster for Public Health Emergency. This was done by the Montgomery County Judge and the Montgomery County Commissioners and the point is to make sure that they can prevent the spread of the virus.
Commissioners also decided to cancel all public gatherings of more than 250 people at any county buildings. The county officials tell us they’re just not taking any chances at least for the next 30 days.
“I want to air on the side of caution. I don’t want to wake up two weeks from now wishing we would have done what we did today. I don’t want to be in that situation,” Montgomery County Commissioner Charlie Riley said.
Some of the events being canceled are the gun show scheduled for this weekend. The Montgomery County Fair one of the biggest events in the county.
Officials are hoping they can reschedule to a later date. They’re also shutting down the senior program for the next 30 days.
Even Weddings that were scheduled at the county buildings larger than 250 people will have to be canceled. And local little leagues will also have to make adjustments.
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Coronavirus symptoms
The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough and shortness of breath, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.
But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Human coronaviruses are usually spread through
- The air by coughing or sneezing
- Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
- Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.
Help stop the spread of coronavirus
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Eat and sleep separately from your family members
- Use different utensils and dishes
- Cover your cough or sneeze with your arm, hot your hand.
- If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
Lower your risk
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.
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