Coronavirus cases up to 25 in Falls County

Falls County still has 25 total confirmed COVID-19 on June 26. The number had been at a standstill for three days, with the last two cases recorded on June 23. This is 4.64 percent per thousand people in the Falls County population.

According to the DSHS COVID-19 Dashboard, there are an estimated 16 active cases and 9 recovered cases.

There were an additional 178 tests done in that time frame, totalling 866 tests administered.  This is a 25.87 percent increase in tests within only three days time. 

Tests within that state of Texas have increased by 15.55 percent, totalling out at 1,875,197. 

Texas has now seen a total of 137,624 cases, with 1,903,661 tests administered.

Daily cases have climbed steadily over the last few days, each day surpassing the record set the previous day, even nationally. In Texas, Tuesday saw a total of 5,489 additional cases and Wednesday had 5,551. Thursday, June 25, hit an all-time high of 5,996 new cases reported, which remains the highest recorded number in one day to date.

 The United States followed suit, with 44,702 new infections reported by state health departments on Friday, surpassing the previous record, 39,327, set a day earlier.

Today, Governor Greg Abbott put an executive order in place limiting  certain places of business. This comes just days after announcing a pause on The Governor’s Strike Force to Open Texas.

The executive order closed all bars and similar businesses as of noon today and requires restaurants to go back to a 50 percent occupancy level.

“At this time, it is clear that the rise in cases is largely driven by certain types of activities, including Texans congregating in bars,” Abbott said. “The actions in this executive order are essential to our mission to swiftly contain this virus and protect public health.”

The order also closed down all tubing and rafting activities and states that all outdoor gatherings with excess of 100 people must be approved by local authorities. 

“As we experience an increase in both positive COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, we are focused on strategies that slow the spread of this virus while also allowing Texans to continue earning a paycheck to support their families,” said Governor Abbott in a press release. “This temporary pause will help our state corral the spread until we can safely enter the next phase of opening our state for business.”

“I ask all Texans to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19 by wearing a mask, washing their hands regularly, and socially distancing from others,” he continued. 

Because the virus can be spread by both re-symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals, masks help to contain the spread of droplets (the spray that comes from a person’s mouth when speaking/coughing/etc) from an infected person to a healthy one. 

Different kinds of masks led different levels of support to the wearer. N95 masks help the wearer by keeping out 95 percent of both large and small particles, but, if it has a one way valve, does not protect others from potentially receiving them from the wearer. Surgical masks only filter out large particles when breathing in, but keep the wearer’s droplets to a minimum regarding other people’s exposure. 

Cloth coverings have also been recommended when neither of these kinds of masks are available. These masks have multiple layers of tightly woven fabric, namely cotton, and have options for filter inserts. These can be easily homemade and essentially are for limiting the potential spread of the virus by pre- or symptomatic individuals. They do little to protect the wearer from the outside world. 

Some cities and counties are requiring the use of masks when entering places of business. Falls County has yet to put in an order to this effect, but the cities of Marlin, Waco, and Hewitt have all put these measures in place. 

It is not yet known if Falls County Officials will choose to follow suit. Citizens are encouraged to continue following social distancing guidelines set forth by the Centers for Disease control and prevention.

Head to http://www.co.falls.tx.us/ for the latest updates on Coronavirus in Falls County. 

Monitor Coronavirus cases at https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/coronavirus/, where the COVID-19 dashboard can be found.