Officials alarmed as 7th Denton living center resident tests positive for coronavirus
Denton County has confirmed 19 new cases of the coronavirus, including a seventh individual who has tested positive at Denton’s State Supported Living Facility, as officials express alarm about the county’s ability to test and treat the growing number of patients.
There have been 70 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County, according to the county health department. The new case at the State Supported Living Center, which houses individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities, is a woman in her 50s who has been hospitalized. Star-Telegram media partner WFAA-TV reported the other six infected individuals have also been hospitalized.
Officials had announced on Saturday there were four positive cases at the living center, and on Wednesday indicated three more people had tested positive. At a press conference Wednesday, Denton Mayor Chris Watts stated the county doesn’t have enough testing materials to track the spread of the coronavirus in the living center, according to WFAA-TV.
He said the county pans to submit letters to Gov. Greg Abbott to ask for additional help and resources to combat the spread of coronavirus and isolate it to the living center, WFAA-TV reported.
Testing has begun at the living center, officials confirmed to WFAA-TV on Wednesday.
Denton County leaders including Watts and County Judge Andy Eads have also written to Abbott to request the state transform the Denton State Supported Living Center into a temporary hospital, according to KXAS-TV, which obtained the letter. There are reportedly about 1,400 employees at the facility and more than 440 residents.
There are about 85 ICU beds in Denton County, according to KXAS-TV. Eads reportedly wrote in the letter the severity of the impact of the coronavirus has yet to be felt.
The judge said during a public update on Facebook Wednesday that “this is uncharted territory that all of us are experiencing” and people need to look out for themselves and their mental health.
“I want to tell you that you are not alone in what you’re experiencing. There are other people in this county facing exactly what you’re dealing with,” Eads said. “Regardless of your issue, you’re not in it alone.”
He provided the phone number to the Denton County Crisis Hotline, 1-800-762-0157. Professionals from Denton County MHMR will be able to speak to residents and offer them advice to get through these difficult times, Eads said.
The 19 new cases announced on Wednesday represent the biggest single-day increase in cases since the county began reporting them.
There have been 12 cases in Denton; nine cases in both Carrollton and Frisco; and five cases in Flower Mound, Lewisville, Prosper and Trophy Club, according to the county department of health. There have been a handful of cases reported in several other cities and towns.
Thirty-four of the cases involve individuals who are between the ages of 20 and 49, and 35 of the cases involve people between the ages of 50 and 79, according to the county department of health. One person in the 80+ category has tested positive, according to the data, and no people under the age of 19 have tested positive.
Thirty-three cases were the result of local transmission, 27 cases were the result of recent travel, seven cases were the result of contact with a confirmed case and three cases are pending investigation, according to the county department of health.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 10:34 AM.
