BELL COUNTY, Texas — The Bell County Public Health District released four days of coronavirus testing numbers Tuesday.
The data showed the number of positive cases dating back to March 12 stood at 309. The last numbers reported were on May 22 when the total positive cases stood at 278.
A spokesman for the health district, said new numbers were not released because of the Memorial Day weekend.
"Since Friday, Bell County has added 31 new cases, including several under age 20," public information officer Paul Romer said. "Many of these cases are asymptomatic individuals who were tested prior to scheduled medical procedures unrelated to COVID-19. These new cases include several shared households in which whole families tested positive.
Given the contagious nature of COVID-19 this is not surprising. It is anticipated that daily case numbers will continue to fluctuate."
The number of recovered patients in Bell County was 180 while the number of deaths remained at three.
The total number of people tested was 16,857. The positivity rate, which is the number of positive cases divided by the total tests given, was less than 2%.
The Texas Department of State Health Services distributed two additional cases of the antiviral drug remdesivir to Baylor Scott & White in Bell County, according to Gov. Greg Abbott's office. DSHS gave one cases to Bell County last week.
Preliminary results from a clinical trial showed the average recovery time among patients who received remdesivir was 11 days versus 15 days with a placebo, according to the governor's office. The supply is part of a donation from drug maker Gilead.
Statewide, the Texas Department of State Health Services was reporting 55,971 total positive cases and 1,527 deaths as of Monday.
35,292 people have recovered while 22,662 cases remained active.
McLennan County was reporting 112 cases as of Tuesday with 15 active cases and 93 recoveries.
Across Central Texas, including the counties of Bell, McLennan, Coryell, Navarro, Limestone, Freestone, Milam, Falls, Bosque, San Saba, Hamilton, Comanche, Leon and Mills, there are 817 cases.
It should be noted, of the 224 cases in Coryell County, 157 of them are inmates in the Gatesville Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison system, according to the Coryell County Judge's office.