Alejandra Yañez | THE RIDER
The Cameron County Public Health department has reported that over 5% of the population has been infected with COVID-19.
“There’s probably a whole lot more than that,” Dr. James Castillo, the health authority for Cameron County, said Sept. 3 during a Facebook live Q&A sponsored by the American Association of Retired Persons. “The CDC thinks that in some places it’s 10 times more than whatever you’ve proven and that definitely shows with what happened in our population with our death rate.”
Cameron County Judge Eddie Treviño Jr. answered the public’s questions during the session, which was moderated by Daniela Banda of CBS Channel 4, and Donald Hamm, an AARP volunteer.
Castillo highlighted some of the primary reasons he believes the Rio Grande Valley was significantly hit by this virus.
He said that once the restrictions, such as shelter in place, were lifted the virus “took advantage of our close family communities, our close relationships with each other and our social culture, and so it spread.”
The health authority reiterated that the county was hit severely in comparison to others in Texas.
“We don’t have subways, we don’t have skyscrapers, but we have close family units and we have many people living with obesity, diabetes, heart disease,” Castillo said.
As of Tuesday, the county reported an additional 70 COVID-19 cases, raising the total number to 22,222. As of Wednesday morning, an additional eight deaths were reported, bringing the death toll to 842.
Asked during the Facebook session when the public can anticipate a vaccine, Castillo replied there will not be a vaccine available until it is proven to be both safe and effective.
“The good news on the vaccine front is a lot of vaccines are in something called phase three trials, which means effectiveness,” he said. “They’ve gone through the safety trials and were found to be safe and now they’re in the effectiveness trials, meaning does it protect you?”
Castillo said there is a chance there could be a vaccine by the end of this year. He reminded the public of the symptoms of this virus, such as fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, congestion, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea. The most prevalent of the symptoms seems to be loss of taste and smell, according to Castillo.
“This virus is here for the long term, and if we don’t do our part, it’s going to do everything it can to take advantage,” Treviño said. “It doesn’t care if you’re healthy or not healthy, it’s just looking for a host in order to continue to survive. So, all of these changes that we’ve asked people to implement in their daily lives, the wearing of masks, social distancing, avoiding crowds, personal hygiene, washing your hands frequently, not touching your face and staying home as much as possible, we know those are the tools in our toolbox that work.”
Castillo urges the public to recognize that there are many people here who are considered high risk due to underlying conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, asthma and cancer. He also said that experts still do not know the long-term effects of this virus.
For people who have been exposed to someone with COVID-19, Castillo said, “Testing [negative] does not get you out of quarantine.” Results can change from day to day and he advises that the only way to know for sure is to self-quarantine if you feel you have been exposed.
By the same token a positive test does not necessarily mean you are infectious anymore, according to Castillo. The CDC is no longer requiring a negative test for victims to go back to work. Now they must wait 10 days after they first started experiencing symptoms before they can return to work. However, for those who required hospitalization, the contagious period can be up to 20 days since the first symptoms.
The Cameron County Fourth Amended Emergency Management Order, which was issued Sept. 4, is still in place. The order includes facial coverings, limitations on gatherings, shelter-in-place, beach access partial opening and a curfew between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. for persons 17 and younger and from midnight to 5 a.m. for anyone 18 and older.
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