RAYMONDVILLE — Willacy County confirmed its ninth and 10th cases of coronavirus — the fourth and fifth cases within a week.
On Monday, the state health department confirmed a female in her teens and a man in his 60s had contracted the COVID-19 virus.
“They are related to another case,” said Frank Torres, the county’s emergency management coordinator.
Now, health officials are trying to track down others who may be infected.
“The patients are currently isolated,” said Dr. Emilie Prot, Region 11’s regional medical director.
Prot stated officials are “identifying any close contacts of the patients so they can be isolated and monitored for symptoms.”
So far, four residents have recovered while a Willacy County man in 60s became the Rio Grande Valley’s first death linked to the virus, Torres said.
Meanwhile, he said, 13 cases are pending results.
Test results can take one to 14 days, depending on whether state or private labs conduct the tests, Torres said.
Cases mounting
Last week, the number of confirmed cases here began mounting.
On April 14, a woman in her 20s became the county’s first confirmed case in 10 days in this sparsely populated farming area with about 22,000 residents.
Then last week, officials confirmed three more cases.
“We were flat for so long,” Raymondville Mayor Gilbert Gonzales said.
Gonzales urged residents to continue complying with social distancing guidelines and shelter- in-place orders.
