COVID-19 CASES IN WASHINGTON CO. BROKEN DOWN
Washington County officials have clarified the current number of COVID-19 cases as they pertain to the public and to separate institutional facilities.
According to Washington County Judge John Durrenberger, of the 141 confirmed cases in the county as of Tuesday, 106 come from inside institutional facilities, whether they be residents or employees of those facilities. Only 35 cases come from the general public. In addition, all 22 of Tuesday’s confirmed cases came from institutional facilities.
Of the county’s 15 COVID-19 related deaths, 13 are from one facility, previously identified as the Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, and only two are from the general public.
Durrenberger said he believes the 35 cases in the public represents an “excellent record for our county”. He said “people need to be aware of how well we’ve done as a community in preventing the spread”.
Durrenberger and Washington County Commissioners spoke on COVID-19’s effects on the community and on the facility at their meeting Tuesday. Commissioner Joy Fuchs said the county and City of Brenham do not have a say on what goes on in facilities like the Brenham Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, as they are regulated by the state.
Fuchs also said healthcare workers can only do with what their management gives them, and applauded the work healthcare employees are doing.
Commissioner Kirk Hanath said the elderly population has been affected the most by the virus, but thanked all of the institutions that have worked to keep their cases to a minimum. He said it is hard to focus on the positives during this time, but citizens do need to be commended for the work they are doing to slow the spread of the virus.
Hanath said once COVID-19 breached the facility, the situation was completely under the control of the facility’s management, and local officials had no way of preventing it.
The outbreak inside the facility has caught the attention of local representatives like State Senator Lois Kolkhorst. At her request last week, a Mobile Integrated Healthcare Unit and special response teams were sent to the facility to triage, test all patients and staff, assist in facility management, and make recommendations for next steps for the facility and patient care.
I wonder how many have been infected but not tested? That’s the real question . Until then we live In a state of fear. Oh I guess not all but us who have pre existing illness .
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Will the Brenham dps/dmv be open soon
Well have you ever thought that the reason the percentage numbers are so high at BNR is because that’s where a high percentage of the test have been conducted. I’m sure the numbers throughout Brenham are significantly higher it’s just that they aren’t testing.
Of course the numbers at the homes/rehabs etc still out do the counties population of 35,000 those are the ones that got testing on .let’s see if that still holds true after testing starts on sunday on the outside of these rehabs etc
People are dying just blocks from the courthouse and city hall and there’s nothing we can do. As a citizen of Washington County I don’t by that.
Is the state school included as one of the institutional facilities?
Yes, the Brenham State Supported Living Center (The State School) is included in those numbers. They have only one reported positive case that we know of. County officials says their staff have done an excellent job of containing the spread.
Thanks. Good to hear.
Yes, it is true that once it comes into a facility it goes like wildfire sometimes no matter what the staff does to try to stop it. Same thing happens with the flu and other infectious disease. Healthcare workers in elderly care MUST be diligent in order to protect those most vulnerable. My hat is off to all the staff at High Hope, Focused Care, Argent Court, Kruse Village and Silver Sage. If you all were not doing all you can to protect the community we would be seeing numbers much higher. And while it is nice that the staff at Brenham Nursing and Rehab is receiving financial compensation for their hard work and support from the community, I feel that all those other facilities deserve compensation and support too. They go about their personal lives in fear of taking the virus back to their workplaces, yet they continue to do their jobs tirelessly. Bravo to all of Washington County’s senior health workers
Great going Senator
This shows that the spread of the virus within the community is controlled. It is difficult to control the spread of the virus within an intitutional facility that houses the most high risk people.
Yes it is difficult to control the spread in an institutional facility HOWEVER when staff is not given the proper equipment or even provided with vital information, that causes the spread to get worse. IF they were given the proper equipment and resources, I am sure the spread would not be as bad.
This also shows that people were able to protect themselves WITHOUT the government intervention that so many were screaming for. I’m glad to see our local leaders didn’t cave to the pressure and institute some of the draconian measures other counties and municipalities instituted and instead allowed people to make the best choices for themselves.
This just shows where the test have been given basically. They have all been tested at the nursing home. A very small sample of the community have been tested. Once that happens and we have those results we will know for sure.
Testing will give you results of the moment you are tested . Walk away from the test and get infected 10 steps away . Test should be given to those who are sick and will show medical personnel how to treat these patients . Otherwise the endless loop of test will have to be done and where will that end? Test negative today and positive tomorrow . I am amazed at how many people think testing will do anything . Are we going to lock up the people who test positive on the spot ? The reality is if they did not feel sick they been walking among everyone already. At this point in the pandemic time is our only way out. Being smart does more than a test.