The rise in positive COVID results in Brown County over the last two weeks – a total of 2,132 cases in that span, and 1,746 active cases as of this past Friday – was among the topics of discussion during Tuesday morning’s Brownwood City Council meeting.
While the CDC now states quarantining just five days is all that is required, the Brownwood / Brown County Health Department encourages those who have contracted COVID to quarantine at least 10 days.
“The State of Texas has not changed their recommendation on the 10 days, so we are continuing to have the same recommendation,” Brownwood / Brown County Health Department Administrator Lisa Dick said. “The science behind that is you can transfer the disease during the whole 14-day period, that part never changed, but what did change is when they looked at when you’re most contagious. The first five days after you start having symptoms seem to be the most contagious where 70 percent catch it from that original person. The following five days after that, about 30 percent occurred. That’s where they’re getting the five days from, but to be extra safe most of the transfer of the disease is done within 10 days which is why it changed from 14 to 10 to five. But there’s still a 30 percent risk you would transfer the disease to someone between days five and 14.”
Overall, Brown County has reported 212 COVID-related deaths which is higher, based on population, than the state average, Dick reported.
Brownwood Mayor Stephen Haynes said, “I think there’s a mentality and mindset that it’s becoming less dangerous and I think probably to some extent the numbers are bearing that out in relation of death to instance rate. But it’s still concerning when you have seven deaths in a week, so the message is we still don’t know what causes this virus to be a headache and mild fever for one person and maybe death for someone else.”
There were also 19 people hospitalized with COVID in Brown County as of Tuesday morning.
“That causes more difficult situations when we need health care for other reasons, when you’re seeking medical care for something that could be critical and serious,” Dick said.
Based on testing thus far this week, the trend for positive COVID results appears on track to be in the neighborhood of 1,000 again, Dick told the City Council. A total of 870 vaccines were administered last week, but the bulk of those were booster varieties. As of last week, 42.61 percent of the eligible county population was vaccinated.
“Our staff is working really hard, but we can’t keep up with our purpose of trying to slow COVID at this point,” Dick said. “We are looking at different ways to streamline what we’re doing. We’re still trying to contact you to get information and learn more about COVID and how it’s acting in our community. But we still need more of those first and second doses out in our community to prevent the overall population from contracting COVID.”
COVID testing appointments can be made with the Health Department, which is conducting approximately 50 per day. The Health Department can be reached at (325) 646-0554. Free at-home COVID tests are also available, a four-pack, to be mailed within seven to 12 days at the following link: COVIDtests.gov – Free at-home COVID-19 tests
Haynes added, “We’ve had such a proliferation of cases that I think it’s helpful to have a test kit at home to be able to test yourself to know what your fate is to other people. For some of our families, they do need to have a supply of those so they know before they get out whether or not they are contagious.”