Tarrant County sees 6th coronavirus case, likely its first caused by local transmission
A sixth confirmed case of coronavirus in Tarrant County is also the first case of presumed local transmission, health officials announced on Tuesday morning.
The individual is a resident of Grand Prairie who had no recent travel history or known exposure to a confirmed case of COVID-19. The county did not release the age or the health history of the individual due to “HIPAA laws regarding the confidentiality of health information,” Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in a news release.
The person is isolated at home with symptoms consistent with COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the coronavirus, Taneja said.
The announcement comes a day after health officials in Matagorda County confirmed Texas’ first coronavirus-related death in a man in his late 90s who had coronavirus symptoms. The county in southeast Texas also reported a second case.
The number of cases in Texas has surged to at least 85, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Dallas County is up to 28 presumed positive coronavirus cases, health officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Tarrant County confirmed its fifth coronavirus case on Monday in a resident who contracted the virus during an out-of-state trip.
Grand Prairie is planning on making drive-thru testing available toward the end of the week, health officials said Monday. Tarrant County is working with local hospitals to try to set up a network for testing.
This story was originally published March 17, 2020 at 9:21 AM.