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Montgomery County’s Fifth Positive COVID-19 case Confirmed
On Tuesday, March 17, Montgomery County Public Health District (MCPHD) confirmed Montgomery County’s fifth positive COVID-19 case. The man, who is in his 50s, is a resident of Southwest Montgomery County. At this time, he is in isolation in his home. The man has recently traveled to California.
Here are updates on Montgomery County’s other current cases:
- Case # 1 – A man in his 40s, from Northwest Montgomery County, is still hospitalized. He remains in critical condition. As a result of our investigation, we do believe he contracted the virus as a result of community spread.
- Case # 2 – A woman, in her 40s, who resides in Southeast Montgomery County. She remains in a hospital in Harris County, in critical condition.
- Case # 3 – A man, in his 40s, from Northwest Montgomery County. He is at home, recovering well.
- Case # 4 – A woman, in her 40s, who resides in Northwest Montgomery County. She remains at home in isolation, doing well. Her case is connected to Case # 3.
*Note – The CDC will no longer provide confirmations on presumptive positive cases. Cases that test positive in local labs will now be considered confirmed upon a positive result.
In Montgomery County, and in the rest of the nation, testing supplies are limited. Tests are being performed at private medical offices, urgent cares and hospitals in Montgomery County that are using private labs. By law, providers (hospitals, physicians, etc.) are only required to notify Public Health of POSITIVE results. We are no longer receiving the numbers on all tests performed in Montgomery County. At this time, we have received 5 positive tests. According to MCPHD internal numbers (which do not include all numbers regarding private labs in the county), there are 24 tests that have come back NEGATIVE, and 89 tests are pending.
Tips for the general public:
- Wash hands often for 20 seconds and encourage others to do the same.
- If no soap and water are available, use hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
- Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue, then throw the tissue away.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Disinfect surfaces, buttons, handles, knobs, and other places touched often.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.Patients with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath. The CDC believes that symptoms of 2019-nCoV may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure.
Source: Montgomery County Public Health District
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