Falls County sees first COVID-19 death, surpasses 100 cases

Falls County has seen a total of 103 coronavirus cases as of July 27. 

The County saw its first coronavirus related death this week, according to the Department of Health and Human Services COVID-19 dashboard.

Of those 103 total, more than 60 of them have been female, and about 40 of them have been male. The numbers are almost congruent in being split between both sides of the county; more than 60 on the east and about 40 on the west. Overall, there are 6.20 cases per 1,000 people in Falls County. 

There are an estimated 52 active cases and 50 recovered, according to the DSHS’ calculations on July 27. 

Falls County continues to have the least amount of cases in the surrounding counties, but has seen the highest increase in the last week. There has been a 37.33 percent increase since the 75 cases noted on July 20, with a notable increase of 19 cases in one day. There have been a total of 2,293 tests administered, totalling 13.81 percent of the county citizens.

Limestone County is up to 143 total cases, with 52 currently active and an estimated 89 recovered. The county has administered 1,406 tests total and has had two deaths recorded. Overall, Limestone County currently has 6.12 cases per 1,000 individuals in the population and has increased by 18.18 percent in the last week.

Robertson County, who saw synonymous numbers to Limestone in past weeks, now has 194 positive cases, which is 11.55 cases per 1,000 people. There are an estimated 97 active and 96 recovered cases. The County has administered just a couple more tests than Limestone as well, with 1,423 tests completed. The county has also had their first death within the last week. Total cases have increased by 18.29 percent since July 20. 

Milam County has increased steadily over the last weeks, up to 274 as of June 27. There are an estimated 219 recovered and 50 still active, totalling 11.08 positive cases per 1,000 persons. This is the least number of active cases in the six counties. There have been 2,336 tests given within Milam County. The county recorded its third and fourth deaths. Cases have increased by 13.75 percent.

McLennan continues to have more cases than Bell County, numbers differing by more and more every day. McLennan is at a total of 3,986 compared to Bell County's 3,096. McLennan has almost 2100 recovered cases and about 1875 active cases, the most of the six counties. There are 15.64 cases per 1,000 individuals in the county. There have been 27 deaths, the most recorded in any of the counties surrounding Falls. There have been more than 22,200 tests administered and total cases have gone up by 12.94 percent since July 20.

Bell County has an estimated 1,401 recovered cases and 1,652 active. There have been 28,271 tests administered and 25 fatalities recorded. There are 8.46 cases per 1000 people in the county, with a rise in cases of 10.40 percent, the least of all the counties.

The State of Texas has seen a total of 385,925 positive cases. Of those cases, 229,107 have recovered, but 146,836 remain active. The state beat its own record of both new cases and deaths on Wednesday July 15, recording nearly 11,000 new cases and 110 deaths all in one day. The death record was beat again on Friday, July 17, with 174 deaths reported and again Wednesday July 22 with 194 fatalities recorded. There have been 5,713 deaths recorded in the state overall, an increase of nearly 1000 in three days.

With Falls County seeing its biggest increase yet yesterday, the problem seems to lie with those not following the Governor’s Executive order requiring the public to wear masks. Businesses have the right to turn away those not wearing facial coverings, but chain store employees have reported receiving backlash from superiors and corporate offices for doing so. 

“The time is now,” Dr. Robert Redfield, director of the CDC, said during an interview with the Journal of the American Medical Association’s Dr. Howard Bauchner. “I think if we could get everybody to wear a mask right now I think in four, six, eight weeks we could bring this epidemic under control.”

“We are not defenseless against COVID-19,” he said in a press release. “Cloth face coverings are one of the most powerful weapons we have to slow and stop the spread of the virus – particularly when used universally within a community setting. All Americans have a responsibility to protect themselves, their families, and their communities.”