Authorities in Willacy County have reported that a third person there has succumbed to the coronavirus.
The latest fatality was a woman in her 60s who had previously tested positive for the disease and who had been hospitalized at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, according to a news release issued by the Texas Department of State Health Services on Wednesday.
She died on June 3, the release stated.
“We offer our most sincere condolences and our support to the family during this difficult time,” Dr. Emilie Prot, Region 11 medical director for the DSHS said in the release.
Prot urged residents to stay home if they are sick, to limit familial interactions between those who are sick and those who are not, and to continue practicing social distancing and good hygiene.
“The positive person should be in a dedicated room and must wear a mask and not gather with other family members. The caregiver should also wear a mask when providing care,” Prot said.
“This is extremely important as evidence points to strong clustering among positive persons,” she said.
Also on Wednesday, the county also reported that two men in their 40s had tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the county’s total tally of positives to 48.
One of the men is believed to have contracted the disease through contact with another person who had previously tested positive. The county did not say what the suspected mode of transmission was for the second man — who is in isolation — but added they are identifying any close contacts he may have had.
And in Starr County, two women have tested positive for COVID-19 — aged 37 and 62, according to Dr. Jose Vazquez, the county’s health authority.
That county’s total now stands at 71, of whom 32 have recovered, Vazquez said. The county has 38 active cases.
