A 70-year-old Houston-area man has tested positive for the coronavirus, according to officials with Fort Bend County Health and Human Services.
The Fort Bend man, who recently traveled abroad, has been hospitalized and is in stable condition, the Houston Chronicle reported. His case is the first in the state reported outside of a quarantine site in San Antonio, where patients who had been in Wuhan, China, or in a cruise ship that experienced an outbreak of the virus while in Japan are being observed.
“Over the past month, the state of Texas has been preparing for this moment, and we are confident in the steps we have taken to safeguard our communities against the coronavirus,” Gov. Greg Abbott said in a statement. “We anticipated this situation, we have protocols in place, and our state agencies and personnel are trained and ready to respond. The state of Texas remains in contact with our federal and local partners, and we will continue to work together to ensure Texas communities have the resources they need to respond to any additional cases of the coronavirus. Our top priority is public health and safety, and I urge all Texans to follow the preventative guidelines provided by the Department of State Health Services.”
A travel-related case in Texas doesn’t indicate any spread of the virus within the state, but state agencies will continue preparing to limit the virus’ effects, state officials said.
“Having a COVID-19 case in Texas is a significant development in this outbreak, but it doesn’t change the fact that the immediate risk to most Texans is low,” said Dr. John Hellerstedt, commissioner for the Texas Department of State Health Services. “This travel-related case reinforces the fact that we should all be taking basic hygiene steps that are extremely effective in limiting the spread of COVID-19 and all respiratory illnesses.”
The test was performed at a public health lab in Houston and will be confirmed by testing at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, state officials said.
“This presumptive case is actionable, and we are treating it as a positive,” Fort Bend officials wrote in a news release.
Fort Bend County Health and Human Services has started an investigation to identity people who came into close contact with the Fort Bend man.
In Austin, officials have said at least one person in Travis County was being tested for COVID-19. The test results are still pending.
Austin Public Health officials on Wednesday said canceling next week’s South by Southwest festival won’t make the city safer from the virus.
“Today the threat of community spread in Austin remains low, however, we are prepared for it to happen here,” said Dr. Mark Escott, interim medical director and health authority for Austin Public Health. He said it is not a matter of if but when COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus, shows up in Austin.
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