Coronavirus numbers slow; State reports increased accuracy

Falls County had a total of 151 cases of COVID-19 within the county on Aug 24, with 33 active cases, 115 recovered cases, and 3 deaths. 

Though total numbers have risen, the number of active cases is lower than this time last week, as previously infected individuals continue to recover. 

According to Falls County Judge Jay Elliott, he is awaiting final confirmation from Region 7, who does the follow up reporting for Falls County, whether one of the three deaths is even coronavirus-related at all. 

He cited that there have been a number of families that have surfaced with the virus, stating that being in a household with someone who is asymptomatic can be detrimental to the household’s overall health.

There have been two prisoners that have been diagnosed with the disease, one active and one recovered. A potential third case has developed, but according to Falls County Sheriff Ricky Scaman, there is some trouble with getting that person tested. A reason was not given. 

Total cases have increased by less than five percent, signalling a lull in the spread of infection, as previous weeks have seen jumps as high as 12 percent. 

Most surrounding counties follow suit in the slower increase, but Limestone County seems to have had the opposite impact in the last week. Total cases jumped from 308 to 381, with 165 active cases. The county reported two additional deaths within a one week period, taking them to the highest death count of the counties surrounding Falls with similar population specs. Milam recorded another death this week as well, but has less active cases than Falls county, at 26. Robertson county has the least number of active cases, at 20 active, with 221 recovered, three deaths, and 244 total cases reported. 

All of the above counties, including Falls, continue to see testing numbers rise, but the rate at which cases increase is not synonymous to the numbers of tests. 

According to Texas governor Greg Abbott, statewide numbers are the most accurate they have been since clearing out multiple backlogs of tests this month. There have been two labs to clear out their stock, adding multiple thousand cases to the total numbers for the state. Since some tests dated back to as far as March of this year, many were added to the recovered list. Dallas County was most significantly impacted by these backlogs. 

The Dallas-Fort Worth area has already seen a rise in cases due to traditional classes beginning at multiple colleges, though schools have put a number of mitigation procedures in place. Texas State University, located in San Marcos, was noted this week for it’s extreme measures, which include holding classes in the parking lot to ensure proper social distancing for larger classes. 

In-person classes began for Rosebud-Lott ISD last week and Marlin ISD will follow suit on Aug. 31. With many procedures in place, these schools have adapted their procedures to their students' needs. It can only be hoped that Falls County will not see an increase in cases, as those affected would be youth, who are the future of Falls County and the many communities within.