SCREENSHOT TAKEN BY ROXANNA MIRANDA FROM THE LIVESTREAM OF THE AUG. 7 CAMERON COUNTY NEWS CONFERENCE
Alejandra Yañez | THE RIDER
In a news conference earlier today, Cameron County Judge Eddie Trevino Jr. reported an additional 301 COVID-19 cases, raising the total number to 15,865.
In the last week, the number of cases in the county increased by 5,710 and deaths by 135. An additional 17 deaths were reported today, bringing the death toll to 341.
The breakdown of cases by city in Cameron County is as follows:
–Brownsville, 104;
–Combes, 3;
–Harlingen, 70;
–La Feria, 19;
–Laguna Heights, 1;
–Laguna Vista, 4;
–Los Fresnos, 23;
–Olmito, 3;
–Palm Valley, 1;
–Port Isabel, 3;
–Primera, 3;
–Rio Hondo, 1;
–San Benito, 51;
–Santa Maria, 3;
–Santa Rosa, 11; and
–South Padre Island, 1.
On a positive note, Cameron County has almost doubled its number of recovered cases in just one week, with 6,014 recovered as of this morning.
So far, this month, Cameron County has reported its highest numbers to date, exceeding over 1,000 cases on several days, which the judge said is due to a backlog in testing.
“Although I informed everybody of the backlog of cases, COVID-19 still exists and remains in our community,” Treviño said. “I continue to ask and request that everyone heed the advice and mandates in place for the protection of life and health.”
As of this morning, Cameron County has conducted 104,000 tests, of which 88,000 are confirmed and unconfirmed negative results and 397 pending.
Of the 254 counties in Texas, Cameron County is the 12th most populated, yet it is the sixth highest in COVID-19-related deaths despite its lower population in comparison to other counties.
Treviño stressed to the public that people are dying from this virus and it is something that needs to continue to be taken seriously by all residents.
“All of us would like to return to normalcy, but it’s not going to happen unless each and every one of us does our part and protects ourselves, our families and our neighbors from ceasing the transmission of COVID-19,” Treviño said.
Disappointed by recent observations he has made on social media, of people not complying with safety precautions for the virus, Treviño urges the public to wake up and stay home.
“Why do you all continue to act as if this doesn’t affect you,” Treviño said. “It makes zero sense to me why we continue to have these conversations! … Having 300 to 400 daily cases is going to lead to more death. Cameron County is better than this! The state of Texas is better than this! This country is better than this!”
The judge explained that the spike in positive cases was due to the backlog in testing results. However, he said the county seems to be caught up with the numbers.
To ensure that the county is publishing accurate numbers to the public, Esmeralda Guajardo, the health administrator for Cameron County, spoke about how the numbers shown are not duplicated. Every number shown on the logs is a person and not a test. This clarification was necessary due to concerns that numbers were reflecting multiple tests at different locations taken by the same person.
Guajardo said there was a recent uptick in cases due to both military testing and the aftermath of Hurricane Hanna, which left many people without power. She explained that in moments of crisis many people come together to help one another and that this will continue to be a factor in higher case numbers.
Treviño said testing will continue to be available through Sunday at the San Benito Fair Grounds at 551 Cesar Gonzalez Parkway, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. No appointment is required and testing is available until the limit of 125 is reached.
Some numbers to call in regard to COVID-19 include: Cameron County Public Health, (956) 247-3650; Cameron County Emergency Management Department, (956) 547-7000; and UTRGV Testing, (833) 877-4863. For help with depression or anxiety that is related to the coronavirus, call the Texas Health and Human Services COVID-19 Mental Health Support Line at (833) 986-1919.
