Roxanna Miranda / The Rider Graphic
UTRGV reported 15 new COVID-19 cases between Feb. 18 and 24, according to a university official.
Doug Arney, vice president for Administrative Support Services and chair of the Infectious Disease Committee at UTRGV, said among the 15 were six students, five staff and four faculty members.
UTRGV updates the number of cases reported for campus individuals weekly through the Confirmed Cases Dashboard. The university COVID-19 Response Team provides the numbers on its website.
Arney said one of the six students was in on-campus isolation housing the week of Feb. 18 to 24.
Hidalgo and Cameron counties continue to report COVID-19 cases.
Hidalgo County reported 1,633 cases between Feb. 25 and March 3, raising its total to 166,056, according to its website.
The county reported 31 deaths between Feb. 25 and March 3, raising its death toll to 3,814.
The Precinct 4 Endowment Center will continue to provide free PCR testing services from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 107 N. Sunflower Road in Edinburg, according to county officials. There is no end date to these services.
The Rider emailed Carlos Sanchez, director of Public Affairs for Hidalgo County, to discuss hospitalization rates and testing site details. As of press time, there was no response.
Cameron County reported 372 cases between Feb. 24 and March 2, raising its total to 72,888 cases, according to its website.
The county reported 20 deaths between Feb. 24 and March 2, raising the county’s death toll to 2,184.
Last Wednesday, county officials announced that the Texas Homeowner Assistance Fund is now available for those who have experienced financial hardships due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The program, funded under the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, is available to assist eligible Texas homeowners, according to the county’s website.
In order to receive assistance, individuals must meet the following criteria:
–have fallen behind on a mortgage loan, property tax, property insurance and/or homeowner association or condo payments.
–have a household income at or below 100% of the area median income or 100% of the median income nationwide.
–own and occupy a home in Texas as a primary residence.
–experience a financial hardship after Jan. 21, 2020, including lost income or increased expenses due to the pandemic.
Texas homeowners must visit texashomeownerassistance.com to submit an application.
