BELTON, Texas — The Bell County Public Health District issued a statement Monday cautioning everyone to keep Thanksgiving gatherings small and to limit travel, in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19.
The district increased the risk level to two which means "significant, uncontrolled community spread."
The release said Halloween parties appeared to be a major reason for the recent increase in cases.
'We know how quickly this virus can move through a household and disrupt everything for a family, and the potential for spread is greatly multiplied when people from different households gather and share a meal, and it is particularly devastating when someone gets severely ill, hospitalized or even faces death to a family and friends gathering," the release said.
The county reported more than 7,200 positive cases as of Nov. 13 with 750 of those active. 137 cases were reported Nov. 9 which was the third-highest in a single day since the first cases were reported in Bell County in March.
The release asked that people social distance, avoid social gatherings and wear face masks in order to avoid another shutdown of services in Bell County.
During the regular meeting of the Bell County Commissioners Court Monday, Judge David Blackburn issued a statement in response to COVID-19 that said the following.
"On October 8, Governor Greg Abbott issued Executive Order GA-32 to reopen certain venues to 75% capacity and allow the resumption of elective surgeries in certain counties. Counties that reside in Trauma Service Areas (TSAs) with high COVID-19 hospitalizations are excluded from these reopenings. Per the GA-32, areas with high hospitalizations means any Trauma Service Area that has had seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID-19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity exceeds 15 percent, until such time as the Trauma Service Area has seven consecutive days in which the number of COVID 19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of total hospital capacity is 15 percent or less."
A county within a TSA that has high hospitalizations may still reopen up to 75% if the county meets attestation parameters established under GA-32, according to the order by Abbott
According to State DSHS COVID dashboard for Sunday, Trauma Service Area L (Bell, Coryell, Hamilton, Lampasas, Milam and Mills counties) has a total of 1,282 staffed hospital beds and 310 of those were currently available. This means Bell County is at about 76% capacity, according to Blackburn.
Under the Governor’s Order relating to reserving hospital bed capacity, the county is at about 91% of capacity relative to the Governor’s threshold for hospital bed capacity.
"Discussions with our three area hospital system administrators also indicate that our local hospital capacity, while being managed, is seeing signs of stress as it relates to bed capacity and COVID. BSW currently has 46 COVID patients, the highest census of COVID patients since mid-August. While BSW is below the Governor’s 15% threshold number requiring elective surgeries to cease, I am advised that they are currently not scheduling any new elective surgical cases that require a hospital bed for the first part of this week," the statement from Blackburn said. "Seton and Advent are also experiencing much the same as BSW as relates to hospital capacity and COVID patients and are making adjustments to better manage hospital bed capacity in order to stay below the Governor’s 15% threshold."
The statement continued, "I share all this to simply say that we need to heed the advice and counsel of our health authorities and continue to be vigilant in our COVID health protocols. Maintaining social distancing, wearing our face coverings when we are out and about and can’t maintain social distancing, and washing our hands frequently remain our best line of defense against COVID.
These health protocols are also our best line of defense against a return to more stringent health, economic and business measures. I don’t think any of us want a return to some of the measures we saw in the Spring of this year … measures that we are seeing re-imposed in other parts of the country as we speak.
As we gather for the upcoming holidays with friends and family, please be careful and safe…for your own good, and for the good of those friends and family that are with you."