Man in his 40s is first person to die from coronavirus in Denton County, officials say
A Lewisville man in his 40s died Wednesday night of severe complications of the novel coronavirus, authorities said.
The man is the first person to die of COVID-19 in Denton County, Andy Eads, the county’s judge, said as he announced the death Thursday afternoon.
There have been 83 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Denton County, Eads said. The tally includes eight people at Denton’s State Supported Living Center, at which people with intellectual and developmental disabilities live. Testing and treatment at the center has been a focus of public health authorities in recent days.
“We are saddened by this tragic loss but know the worst is yet to come in Denton County as we deal with this highly contagious disease,” Eads wrote in a statement. “We must work collectively to limit the spread of COVID-19. We simply cannot allow this disease to spread to the point of pushing our hospitals beyond their capabilities to cope.”
Denton County is under a disaster declaration that has closed non-essential businesses and limits travel to essential trips.
There have been 14 cases in Denton; 12 cases in Frisco; nine in Carrollton; and seven cases in Flower Mound, Lewisville and in locations in unincorporated areas of the county, according to the county department of health. There have been a handful of cases reported in other cities and towns.
Thirty-seven of the cases involve individuals who are between the ages of 20 and 49, and 45 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 20 have tested positive.
Forty cases were the result of local transmission, 32 cases were the result of recent travel, eight cases were the result of contact with a confirmed case and three cases are pending investigation, according to the county department of health.
Forty-seven of the patients are men and 36 are women.
One hundred forty State Supported Living Center residents were tested for the virus on Wednesday, said Matt Richardson, the director of the county’s public health department.
Denton Mayor Chris Watts said at a press conference Wednesday that the county does not have enough testing materials to track the spread of the coronavirus in the living center, according to WFAA-TV.
Eads said he had discussed adding resources to tame the spread of coronavirus and isolate it to the living center with Gov. Greg Abbott.
Eads wrote 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 about 1,400 employees and about 440 residents at the facility.
Eads wrote in his letter the severity of the impact of the coronavirus has yet to be felt.
Staff writer Jack Howland contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 26, 2020 at 3:41 PM.
