MCLENNAN COUNTY, Texas — Waco and McLennan County officials are giving an update regarding the city and county's joint response to the coronavirus pandemic.
Watch the update live here May 13 at 1:30 P.M.
As of May 12 McLennan County has six active COVID-19 cases with a total of 96 confirmed cases to date. 86 have recovered and four have died.
46 people are being monitored, including positive cases and their close contacts.
Here are the highlights from the meeting:
- Waco Mayor Kyle Deaver said that the county has six active cases and noted that the number is "remarkably low for a county of our size."
- Deaver said the county is averaging about 130 COVID-19 tests per day and is climbing.
- Deaver said although numbers are low, the public should not develop a "false sense of the security" because the virus is still active.
- McLennan County Judge Scott Felton said no cases have been reported in the jail. He added that nursing homes in the county have also not reported any cases or outbreaks.
- Dr. Jackson Griggs reported no new cases and that six remain active. He said no cases are currently hospitalized.
- Dr. Griggs said 4,570 tests have been performed in the county, including 226 from the Texas National Guard's free testing site.
- Deaver gave a breakdown of the race and ethnicity of the virus patients in McLennan County. Infection rates reported are as follows:
- 55% white, non-Hispanic
- 21% black, non-Hispanic
- 11% white with a Hispanic background
- 3% other
- 10% unknown
- Deaver added that the county is looking to identify more patients in the "unknown" category to lower the percentage rate in that category.
- Dr. Griggs said there are numerous vaccines being developed against the coronavirus and said it is possible that more than one of them will be successful.
- Dr. Griggs said "it is so very important to wear face coverings" as more and more people visit restaurants and go into public spaces to slow the spread of the virus.
- Deaver said more than 700 applications have been received for small business relief at the local level, totaling to $1.8 million requested. He added that the first batch of payments have been sent out.
- The best way to help local businesses, Judge Felton said, is to buy local.
- Deaver said Waco is not considering making masks mandatory, but would like to see masks required by businesses. "It seemed like a little bit too much," to order masks required by the local government, Deaver said.
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