Two more confirmed with COVID-19 at Denton facility; officials ask Abbott for hospital
Two more patients at the Denton State Supported Living Center have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the total to six.
Denton Mayor Chris Watts and Denton County Judge Andy Eads urged Gov. Greg Abbott to build a temporary hospital on site. The complex houses more than 400 residents.
“The residents and 1,400 employees of the facility are at great risk for a rapid devastating spread of COVID-19 throughout the campus,” the mayor and judge wrote in a letter to Abbott. “In such an event, the local medical capacity could be quickly overwhelmed.”
The two new cases are in their 40s and 50s and are in hospital isolation. Four patients were confirmed on Saturday at the living center, which is for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Three of the original patients are in their 60s and one is in their 50s.
Officials are currently identifying potential contacts and coordinating expanded testing for exposed residents and staff.
The living center has added infection prevention and control measures, including temperature and symptom screening of employees, expanding utilization of personal protective equipment, and active monitoring of residents for symptoms of respiratory infection.
This story was originally published March 24, 2020 at 5:58 PM.
