KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — UPDATE [Mar. 26] — No new COVID-19 cases were reported in Kaufman County on Thursday morning during the Texas Department of State Health Services' 11:30 a.m. daily update.
KAUFMAN COUNTY, Texas — UPDATE [Mar. 26] — No new COVID-19 cases were reported in Kaufman County on Thursday morning during the Texas Department of State Health Services' 11:30 a.m. daily update.
inForney.com, however, was able to confirm today that the two "Forney-area" cases are that of a 40-year-old female and a 46-year-old male.
State and local health officials have not said if those cases were hospitalizations, at-home quarantines, or disclosed the method or transmission.
Earlier today, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an executive order requiring any air travels arriving to Texas from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, or New Orleans to undergo a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
As of 11:30 a.m., on Thursday, March 26, 2020, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is reporting 1,396 COVID-19 cases statewide, with 18 COVID-19-related deaths. 21,424 total tests have been administered in public and private labs.
ORIGINAL [Mar. 24] — Two Kaufman County residents have tested positive for COVID-19, according to new data being released by the Texas Department of State Health Services.
Updating the method of reporting COVID-19 cases in Texas, to provide the public with more timely information, DSHS says they have begun including all cases reported publicly by local health departments. The change resulted in the increase of 305 additional cases of COVID-19 cases statewide during Tuesday's report.
Kaufman County health and emergency personnel officials were notified of the cases late Tuesday afternoon. Both cases are in the "Forney area," however, other case details — including age and sex of the patients, current condition or hospitalization, and method of transmission — were not available at the time of press.
With the new reporting, 65 of 254 counties throughout the state are now reporting positive cases of COVID-19 for a total of 715 cases and 11 COVID-19-related deaths.
The news comes on the heels of Kaufman County Judge Hal Richards issuing a shelter-in-place order for all Kaufman County residents from 11:59 p.m. on March 25, 2020, until April 8, 2020, at 11:59 p.m.
Neighboring Dallas County is reporting 131 cases, Ellis County is reporting seven cases, and Van Zandt County and Hunt county are reporting 1 case each.
"DSHS previously received its case information from official case reports provided by local jurisdictions and validated each case before adding it to the online count," according to a press release from DSHS moments ago. "That process allowed DSHS to confirm case details but led to slower reporting.
"We want to make sure the public and local leaders have the best possible information in one place as they make decisions about COVID-19," stated DSHS Commissioner Dr. John Hellerstedt. "This new method allows us to share case counts faster."