The Brazos Valley Health District (BCHD) held another press conference focusing on the coronavirus on Monday, April 6.
Dr. Seth Sullivan with BCHD started the conference with a recap of all the information that has been released regarding the virus. The number of confirmed cases has risen to 94, seven of which have resulted in deaths. The seventh death due to the virus was confirmed to be a man in his 80s who was hospitalized. Fourteen of the 94 cases are currently hospitalized, and there have been 12 cases that have recovered within Brazos County. There have been 1,613 total tests given to date. There are no FDA approved medications, although some studies are underway, Sullivan said. Below are some of the main points made at the conference.
1. Face masks have been recommended by the CDC
Sullivan, as well as Brazos County Judge Duane Peters and College Station and Bryan mayors, Karl Mooney and Andrew Nelson, said as recommended by the CDC, cloth masks should be worn when in public spaces, such as grocery stores or pharmacies. Masks should not be placed on children under the age of 2. Sullivan said it is important to use cloth masks, opposed to surgical masks, in order to allow medical professionals to have the proper supplies needed.
Mooney said it is important to include additional filtering material in the homemade masks. These filtration materials can be found on the CDC website, but many are household items, such as a coffee filter.
2. Gov. Abbott’s executive order follows Brazos County’s shelter-in-place
On March 31, Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order implementing Essential Services and Activities Protocols for the entire state of Texas. These orders direct all Texans to minimize non-essential gatherings and in-person contact with people who are not in the same household and enforces federal social distancing guidelines.
Sullivan said these protocols follow the shelter-in-place order enforced in Brazos County already. It is important to follow these guidelines from both the state and local governments, Sullivan said.
3. Cases are still increasing
Sullivan said within the next two to six weeks there will most likely be a large rise in numbers of positive cases. Nelson said this is going to last for a while, but if we take the precautionary steps, it will be shortened. By taking every small step, from wearing masks to only leaving homes for necessary trips, as a community we are able to lower the numbers of cases, according to Nelson.
Sullivan, Peters, Nelson and Mooney all said that along with masks, social distancing, hand washing and only leaving shelter for absolutely essential needs should be practiced. While this may be difficult, the local officials present ensured that by following these protocols it will bring us closer to safely getting back to normal life.