WASHINGTON CO. JIC TO PROVIDE COVID-19 UPDATES ON “AS NEEDED BASIS”
The Washington County Joint Information Center (JIC) is making another change to its reporting of local COVID-19 information.
The JIC said in a press release this (Friday) morning that future releases with COVID-19 case counts will come from Washington County Judge John Durrenberger on an “as needed basis.” Durrenberger said officials have decided to “demobilize the communication effort” of the JIC, citing stabilizing COVID-19 trends in the community.
According to the release, the local Public Health Authority, the Office of Emergency Management (OEM), the City of Brenham, Washington County EMS, Brenham ISD, and other area medical providers will continue to monitor COVID-19 data and release relevant information through their respective offices. Durrenberger said the JIC team can “quickly reengage” if at any time there is an increase in the local COVID-19 trend.
In July, the JIC and OEM announced they would no longer report dashboards of case count, active case count, hospitalizations, recoveries and deaths. They said the decision was mainly due to the Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Public Health Region 7 Office’s struggle to accurately report case numbers in a timely manner.
As of today, the county has 641 total positive cases, 36 active cases, 557 recoveries, and 48 deaths. The JIC last reported 592 positive cases, 40 active cases, 505 recoveries, and 47 deaths in the county in its last report on September 11th.
Washington County Health Authority Dr. William Loesch praised local school districts for their efforts to keep students safe, saying health officials have not seen an uptick of cases in the area with the opening of face-to-face learning. He said this is likely due to “consistent safety protocols” like face coverings, enhanced cleaning methods, and frequent handwashing. He stated that the current cases in Brenham ISD seem to be community spread, rather than spread from within the schools.
As face-to-face community gatherings continue to increase, local health officials remind the public to practice good hand hygiene and wear face coverings to lessen the spread of COVID-19. The fall typically marks the start of flu season, so community members are also encouraged to check with their healthcare provider to see if the flu shot is right for them. The flu shot is now available at many local healthcare providers.
Click here to view COVID-19 case data from the DSHS.