Health officials in Mitchell County — Scurry County’s neighbor to the south — announced Monday that county’s first confirmed case of COVID-19.
“We were notified late yesterday afternoon that we have one confirmed case of Coronavirus in Mitchell County,” said Mitchell County Hospital CEO Robbie Dewberry. “How that affects us, we will go to Phase Three of our three-phase plan, which just signifies that we do have one confirmed case in Mitchell County. It changes up a little bit of the day-to-day operations here at the hospital, but we’ve really been following the CDC guidelines in Phase 1 and Phase 2 already, and we will just limit visitors a little bit more after going to Phase 3.”
The hospital’s infection control manager, Jennifer Hale, said the infected patient is a 60-year-old female.
“She self-quarantined at home when she realized her symptoms and notified us when she received word that she had been in contact with a lab-positive COVID-19 patient,” Hale said. “She continued her self-quarantine and notified us. We were able to do the testing and we received the results. She is recovering at home at this time. She has not required any hospitalization.”
Scurry County Judge Dan Hicks said he doesn’t believe the Mitchell County diagnosis will have much effect on Scurry County.
“We’re going to keep doing what we’ve been doing. I think we’re as restrictive as we can be right now under that order,” he said. “The commissioners’ court will meet again on Friday and discuss it further and see if there are any further recommendations from Dr. (Bid) Cooper. But we’re as restrictive as we can be without getting into police state type stuff. Hopefully people see that there is a case down there, and if they haven’t been careful, they start getting more careful now. But I think most people are really complying and being as careful as they can be.”
Scurry County has not yet positively identified a person suffering from the virus.
Hale urged Mitchell County residents to keep practicing good COVID-19 protocols.
“Let’s continue self-quarantining, self-distancing. If you are sick, stay home. We do have the COVID-19 hotline, if you have specific questions or concerns. Wash your hands of course. Avoid touching your face, contact with your eyes, nose and mouth. Continue cleaning your homes daily, wiping down your surfaces and keeping those things clean.”
Dewberry said Mitchell County officials would continue to keep the county apprised of Coronavirus updates.
“We have found here at the hospital that every day is a new day and we just keep battling through this,” he said. “We’ve got an excellent team here, an excellent medical staff. As we move through this, we will continue to update the public.”
As of 5 p.m. on March 31, the total number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Lubbock County was 100 with two deaths. The Texas Department of State Health Services reports additional cases in the region including Hockley County (7), Terry County (4), Dawson County (3), Gaines County (1), Hale County (1) and Lynn County (2).
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