PRESS RELEASE: COVID-19 UPDATE

November 16, 2020

As of noon on 11/13/2020, Somervell County Texas registered a total of 343 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of residents currently with active cases is at a new record high of 50.  2 patients are hospitalized at this time, and the rest of the active cases are on home isolation.  Using the guidelines from the State of Texas DSHS, we currently have 3 county residents who have died as a result of their COVID-19 infections.  You may notice that the “official” state numbers for active cases, total cases, and deaths, and the numbers I am reporting, differ most of the time.  I am continuing to work at reconciling those differences, and I will report them when they change.  We have had 290 residents recover from this illness.

For the fourth week in a row, I have to report another dramatic increase in our numbers.  Currently, we are seeing significant spread of the virus within families as well as in peer groups.  There is no institutional spread in Somervell County at this time, however, it is clear that social events are a common route of spread for the virus in our community.  I know everyone has heard this, but please remember that wearing a mask can prevent you from spreading the virus unknowingly.  It is very common that people are contagious for anywhere from 1-3 days prior to becoming “sick”.  It is during that time, at mask wearing can help protect other people in our community.  There is compelling evidence that mask wearing in our community is near, or at, the lowest level that it is been since the beginning of this pandemic, although, in response to increasing numbers I am hopeful that people will return to more common usage of masks.

Given the widespread viral activity in our region, the risk level for Somervell County is at the substantial level.  Clearly Texas is having a second wave of COVID-19 infections.  The curve does not appear to be as steep as the first wave, but does appear to be affecting a bigger area of the state.  With flu season around the corner, now is not the time for people to get complacent.  Please do not let your guard down yet.  Do not let COVID fatigue overwhelm you.  Continue to do your best to stay safe, and keep the others around you safe and healthy.

The holidays are fast approaching.  It is not my opinion, nor my advice that we need to cancel family gatherings.  Unfortunately, there is clear cut evidence that social gatherings are playing a very large role in the current spread we are seeing in our county and out state.   What I do recommend is a more stringent standard for attending a family gathering.  Now more than ever, anyone who feels sick should stay home and help protect their loved ones by avoiding the spread of any infectious disease.  Please, if you know, or are suspicious of a significant exposure, please stay home.  If you are concerned that you might have contracted Covid-19, please talk to your healthcare provider about getting tested.

I will continue to support Judge Chambers, and Mr. Rotan as they try to navigate these very challenging times.  It is very difficult to balance the different needs that people have in our community, but I believe our leaders are doing a very good job of trying to stay practical, but vigilant as this pandemic continues.  To avoid greater “lockdown” type restrictions, people need to be responsible by staying home when they are sick.  Wear masks when inside and among other people not of their household.  Wash your hands frequently.  Locally, we are also still limited by the State and TEA guidelines.

I also believe that the fastest way to pre-2020 normal, is through an extensive vaccination program.  The process these vaccines are going through, is the same that other vaccines have gone through, just on a condensed timetable.  I personally have a great deal of comfort with the amount of transparency we are getting during this process.  It continues to appear that the most challenging part of this will be how much vaccine will be available and how it will be distributed.  It is certain that it will be given to high risk patients, first responders, healthcare personnel, and nursing home residence first.  It will be at least 4-6 months before general population will be able to obtain the vaccine.  We are hopeful that a vaccine might be available in the month of December, although there isn’t solid information about that at this time.

As always, contact tracer activity is ongoing with all new positive results, and all results are being reported to the State of Texas per DSHS guidelines.  Most contact tracing is performed by Texas Health Trace, and can be initiated online if patients wish.

Please be mindful that we are all neighbors, please respect the privacy of others.  The hospital, county, city and school districts are all required to follow HIPAA rules.  It is Glen Rose Medical Center’s policy not to release any demographic or patient information due to HIPAA laws.

Want to know more?

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website and Texas 2-1-1 remain the best sources of information for Somervell residents regarding COVID-19 testing and self-protection measures. DSHS updates their county-by-county tracking map daily at https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.

Now is a very good time to look in on the vulnerable and isolated in our community.  Many are having issues with loneliness and anxiety due to the prolonged isolation.  Call a neighbor just to check in!  We cannot neglect other medical needs, just because coronavirus is a problem for us.

The number of active cases is up for Somervell County right now.  We will continue to monitor and report what we can.  I do not think I can caution enough against becoming complacent due to this positive trend though.  When in groups larger than 6 persons (outside of your household), wearing masks, and aggressive hand sanitation is still indicated.  Social distancing is still important. Please be safe.

Please request testing from your provider if you have concerns about being infected.

I appreciate everyone’s continued time and efforts in fighting this disease, none of us are in this alone.  Together we can keep our community strong, safe, and moving forward.

Thank you!

Steven Vacek, M.D.

Glen Rose HealthCare Inc.

Somervell County Local Health Authority

PRESS RELEASE: COVID-19 UPDATE

November 6, 2020

Somervell County, Texas now has a total of 285 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of residents currently with active cases is at a record high of 35.  No patients are hospitalized at this time, all are on home isolation.  Using the guidelines from the State of Texas DSHS, we currently have 3 county residents who have died as a result of their COVID-19 infections.  You may notice that the “official” state numbers for active cases, total cases, and deaths, and the numbers I am reporting, differ most of the time.  I am continuing to work at reconciling those differences, and I will report them when they change.  We have had 247 residents recover from this illness.

For the third week in a row, I have to report a dramatic increase in our numbers.  Currently, we are seeing significant spread of the virus within families.  There is no institutional spread in Somervell County at this time, however, there is very strong evidence that social gatherings are playing a large role in the spread of the virus in our communities.  I know everyone has heard this, but please remember that wearing a mask can prevent you from spreading the virus unknowingly.  It is very common that people are contagious for anywhere from 1-3 days prior to becoming “sick”.  It is during that time, at mask wearing can help protect other people in our community.  There is significant evidence that mask wearing in our community is near, or at, the lowest level that it is been since the beginning of this pandemic.

There is some good news.  There is research that has been published that show asymptomatic patients do appear to have long term immunity from the virus.  How long this will last is still very uncertain.  It is clear that we are still a long way from any kind of meaningful herd immunity.

Given the widespread viral activity in our region, the risk level for Somervell County is at the substantial level.  Unfortunately, we have recently learned of influenza being diagnosed in a COVID patient.  This might complicate diagnosis and treatment plans to a significant degree.  I believe that the risk level to all Somervell County residents is elevated substantially.  There is ample evidence that we are seeing a second wave in the state of Texas.  At this time the curve does not appear to be as steep as the first wave, but does appear to be affecting a bigger area of the state.  Please do not let your guard down yet.  Do not let COVID fatigue overwhelm you.  Continue to do your best to stay safe, and keep the others around you safe and healthy.

The holidays are fast approaching.  It is not my opinion, nor my advice that we need to cancel family gatherings.  Unfortunatly there is clear cut evidence that social gatherings are playing a very large role in the current spread we are seeing in our county   What I do recommend is a more stringent standard for attending a family gathering.  Now more than ever, anyone who feels sick should stay home and help protect their loved ones by avoiding the spread of any infectious disease.  If you are concerned that you might have contracted Covid, please talk to your healthcare provider about getting tested.

I will continue to support Judge Chambers, and Mr. Rotan as they try to navigate these very challenging times.  Locally, we are also still limited by the State and TEA guidelines.

I also believe that the fastest way to pre-2020 normal, is through an extensive vaccination program.  The process these vaccines are going through, is the same that other vaccines have gone through, just on a condensed timetable.  I personally have a great deal of comfort with the amount of transparency we are getting during this process.  It continues to appear that the most challenging part of this will be how much vaccine will be available and how it will be distributed.  It is certain that it will be given to high risk patients, first responders, healthcare personnel, and nursing home residence first.  It will be at least 4-6 months before general population will be able to obtain the vaccine

As always, contact tracer activity is ongoing with all new positive results, and all results are being reported to the State of Texas per DSHS guidelines.  Most contact tracing is performed by Texas Health Trace, and can be initiated online if patients wish.

Statewide, numbers continue to significantly increase.  It is uncertain what to attribute this to, at this time.  Some of it clearly is related to opening up colleges and other post-secondary schools, some of it is likely to be due to trying to return to normal activities.

Please be mindful that we are all neighbors, please respect the privacy of others.  The hospital, county, city and school districts are all required to follow HIPAA rules.  It is Glen Rose Medical Center’s policy not to release any demographic or patient information due to HIPAA laws.

Want to know more?

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website and Texas 2-1-1 remain the best sources of information for Somervell residents regarding COVID-19 testing and self-protection measures. DSHS updates their county-by-county tracking map daily at https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.

Now is also the time to look in on the vulnerable and isolated in our community.  Many are having issues with loneliness and anxiety due to the prolonged isolation.  Call a neighbor just to check in!  We cannot neglect other medical needs, just because coronavirus is a problem for us.

The number of active cases is up for Somervell County right now.  We will continue to monitor and report what we can.  I do not think I can caution enough against becoming complacent due to this positive trend though.  When in groups larger than 6 persons (outside of your household), wearing masks, and aggressive hand sanitation is still indicated.  Social distancing is still important. Please be safe.

Please request testing from your provider if you have concerns about being infected.

I appreciate everyone’s continued time and efforts in fighting this disease, none of us are in this alone.  Together we can keep our community strong, safe, and moving forward.

Thank you!

Steven Vacek, M.D.

Glen Rose HealthCare Inc.

Somervell County Local Health Authority

PRESS RELEASE: COVID-19 UPDATE

October 30, 2020

Somervell County, Texas now has a total of 250 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of residents currently with active cases is 16.  No patients are hospitalized at this time, all are on home isolation.  Using the guidelines from the State of Texas DSHS, we currently have 3 county residents who have died as a result of their COVID-19 infections.  You may notice that the “official” state number, and our number differ at this time.  I am continuing to work at reconciling those differences, and I will report them when they change.  We have had 231 residents recover from this illness.

For the second week in a row, I wish I did not have to report such a significant increase in our numbers.  Currently, we are seeing significant spread of the virus within families.  There is no institutional spread in Somervell County at this time.  Isolated cases of Covid appeared to be the result of incidental contact amongst people in our community.  This type of spread will be exceedingly difficult to control if we cannot get people to be compliant with wearing masks when they are in contact with other people.  At the risk of repeating myself, please remember that wearing a mask can prevent you from spreading the virus unknowingly.  It is very common that people are contagious for anywhere from 1-3 days prior to becoming “sick”.  It is during that time, at mask wearing can help protect other people in our community.  There is significant evidence that mask wearing in our community is near, or at, the lowest level that it is been since the beginning of this pandemic.

In the last week, there really hasn’t been any new data of significance.  It is increasingly likely that vaccine will be available for high risk patients in the coming 1-2 months.  Vaccine availability for the general population, however, is not likely to occur until summer.  We will need to continue to combat spread of this virus until we have other ways to protect the elderly and vulnerable amongst us.

Our neighboring counties continue to have significantly more cases than we do.  I believe that the risk level to all Somervell County residents is significant.  There is ample evidence that we are beginning to see a second wave in the state of Texas.  At this time the curve does not appear to be as steep as the first wave, but does appear to be affecting a bigger area of the state.  Please do not let your guard down yet.  Do not let COVID fatigue overwhelm you.  Continue to do your best to stay safe, and keep the others around you safe and healthy.

The holidays are fast approaching.  It is not my opinion, nor my advice that we need to cancel family gatherings.  What I do recommend is a more stringent standard for attending a family gathering.  Now more than ever, anyone who feels sick should stay home and help protect their loved ones by avoiding the spread of any infectious disease.  If you are concerned that you might have contracted Covid, please talk to your healthcare provider about getting tested.

I will continue to support Judge Chambers, and Mr. Rotan as they try to navigate these very challenging times.  Locally, we are also still limited by the State and TEA guidelines.

I also believe that the fastest way to pre-2020 normal, is through an extensive vaccination program.  The process these vaccines are going through, is the same that other vaccines have gone through, just on a condensed timetable.  I personally have a great deal of comfort with the amount of transparency we are getting during this process.  It is looking more likely that we will have a vaccine by the end of November.  Most challenging part of this will be how much vaccine will be available and I will be distributed.  Certainly it will be given to high risk patients, first responders, healthcare personnel, and nursing home residence first.  It will be at least 4-6 months before general population will be able to obtain the vaccine.

As always, contact tracer activity is ongoing with all new positive results, and all results are being reported to the State of Texas per DSHS guidelines.  Most contact tracing is performed by Texas Health Trace, and can be initiated online if patients wish.

Statewide, numbers continue to significantly increase.  It is uncertain what to attribute this to, at this time.  Some of it clearly is related to opening up colleges and other post-secondary schools, some of it is likely to be due to trying to return to normal activities.

Please be mindful that we are all neighbors, please respect the privacy of others.  The hospital, county, city and school districts are all required to follow HIPAA rules.  It is Glen Rose Medical Center’s policy not to release any demographic or patient information due to HIPAA laws.

Want to know more?

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website and Texas 2-1-1 remain the best sources of information for Somervell residents regarding COVID-19 testing and self-protection measures. DSHS updates their county-by-county tracking map daily at https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.

I would like to request that if you are ill, and think that illness might be COVID-19 due to your personal exposure history, please get tested.  It is far better to test too often, than to not test enough.  Increased testing will give us more accurate numbers to help guide decision making in our county and school district.  If people are choosing to not be tested, it makes getting accurate numbers all that more difficult.  If you have any concerns about your status, please call your primary provider to further discuss testing options.

The number of active cases is up for Somervell County right now.  We will continue to monitor and report what we can.  I do not think I can caution enough against becoming complacent due to this positive trend though.  When in groups larger than 6 persons (outside of your household), wearing masks, and aggressive hand sanitation is still indicated.  Social distancing is still important. Please be safe.

Please request testing from your provider if you have concerns about being infected.  I will say it again, it is better to test too much, than to not test enough.

I appreciate everyone’s continued time and efforts in fighting this disease, none of us are in this alone.  Together we can keep our community strong, safe, and moving forward.

Thank you!

Steven Vacek, M.D.

Glen Rose HealthCare Inc.

PRESS RELEASE: COVID-19 UPDATE

October 23, 2020

Somervell County, Texas now has a total of 230 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of residents currently with active cases is 15.  One of the patients is hospitalized at this time, the rest are on home isolation.  Using the guidelines from the State of Texas DSHS, we currently have 3 county residents who have died as a result of their COVID-19 infections.  You may notice that the “official” state number, and our number differ at this time.  I am continuing to work at reconciling those differences, and I will report them when they change.  We have had 212 residents recover from this illness.

I wish I did not have to report such a significant increase in our numbers.  There is not a specific pattern to this increase.  Almost all are related to community or family spread.  No institutional spread has been seen in Somervell County recently.  I am concerned that “Covid fatigue” is allowing people to become too complacent in what they are doing to try and protect themselves and others.  With such positive indicators regarding vaccines in the near future, now is not the time for people to let up.

I continue to be frustrated by our tendency to expect black and white answers to this virus, and how to treat it.  Too many people expect perfection, which is unattainable in either the prevention of or treatment of this disease.  Masks work.  There is no doubt scientifically.  Do they work all the time?  No, they don’t.  Nothing does!  The most important function of a mask is to decrease the potential shedding from a presymptomatic or symptomatic patient to those around them.  There is evidence that suggests that asymptomatic patients are much less contagious overall.  Unfortunately, only hindsight is 20/20, and none of us can go back in time to put our masks on retrospectively.  On 10/21/20, the FDA did formally approve remdesivir for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection (COVID-19).  Please note, the research does not show that this drug can cure the disease.  It helps people who are significantly ill recover faster.  Unfortunately, it does not decrease the death rate of the disease in any of the studies currently published.

Social distancing and handwashing remain very important as well.  Recent studies have indicated that the virus may remain viable on some surfaces for up to 28 days.  However, those experiments were done in total darkness.  The reason they were done that way is that UV light (daylight) is known to kill the virus.  This created an artificial environment for the purpose of this study, making it not very helpful or relevant for day to day life.   Still, washing hands helps to prevent us from acquiring a whole host of viral infections.  A recent release from the CDC states that under ideal circumstances, the aerosols (water vapor containing viral particles) can travel further than 6 feet from an UNMASKED person.  Singing, laughing, coughing, sneezing and shouting all have been shown to push particles further than the 6 feet previously recommended.  The limitation here is that this is noted to occur in “ideal” conditions with favorable humidity, wind etc…  Fortunately, that is not the environment that we normally live in.  This data is more relevant to academia, than to every day life as well.  The CDC did change the definition of a “contact” to include being within 6 feet of a person or persons, with COVID-19, for a cumulative total of 15 minutes during a 24 hour period.  What this should tell us, is that some people will get infected by accumulating a large enough viral load over time, not just in a shot exposure.

Our neighboring counties continue to have significantly more cases than we do.  I believe that the risk level to all Somervell County residents is Significant.  It is very concerning that we may be seeing a statewide increase in cases, and possible a second wave effect at this time.  Do not let your guard down yet.  Do not let COVID fatigue overwhelm you.  Continue to do your best to stay safe, and keep the others around you safe and healthy.

Recently a group of academics published a document calling for elimination of all “lockdowns” and immediate reopening of all businesses, schools, and extracurriculars.  Their perspective is that the collateral damage from the “lockdown” is more dangerous than the disease we are trying to control.  I find it very hard to argue with their position.  However, they do not offer any actual advice on how to protect the vulnerable and elderly in our society.  This is a significant weakness in their position.  The other side of the argument is that the lockdowns have worked.  However, that has been inconsistent at best across our country, and indeed, across the world too.  There is no doubt that the lockdowns have caused harm to many people.  Which is the lesser of two evils?  Only time will tell.  I know that answer does not make anyone very happy.  My opinion, with the recent increases in our cases, is to stay the course.  Do not open any further at this time.  Work harder at getting people to wear masks, and vaccinate as soon as is possible.  I do not want to see a “lockdown” at this time.

I will continue to support Judge Chambers, and Mr. Rotan as they try to navigate these very challenging times.  Locally, we are also still limited by the State and TEA guidelines.

I also believe that the fastest way to pre-2020 normal, is through an extensive vaccination program.  The process these vaccines are going through, is the same that other vaccines have gone through, just on a condensed timetable.  I personally have a great deal of comfort with the amount of transparency we are getting during this process.  It is looking more likely that we will have a vaccine by the end of November.

As always, contact tracer activity is ongoing with all new positive results, and all results are being reported to the State of Texas per DSHS guidelines.  Most contact tracing is performed by Texas Health Trace, and can be initiated online if patients wish.

Statewide, numbers have started to increase significantly in the last 2 weeks.  It is still uncertain what to attribute this to, at this time.  Some of it clearly is related to opening up colleges and other post-secondary schools.

Please be mindful that we are all neighbors, please respect the privacy of others.  The hospital, county, city and school districts are all required to follow HIPAA rules.  It is Glen Rose Medical Center’s policy not to release any demographic or patient information due to HIPAA laws.

Want to know more?

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website and Texas 2-1-1 remain the best sources of information for Somervell residents regarding COVID-19 testing and self-protection measures. DSHS updates their county-by-county tracking map daily at https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.

I would like to request that if you are ill, and think that illness might be COVID-19 due to your personal exposure history, please get tested.  It is far better to test too often, than to not test enough.  Increased testing will give us more accurate numbers to help guide decision making in our county and school district.  If people are choosing to not be tested, it makes getting accurate numbers all that more difficult.  If you have any concerns about your status, please call your primary provider to further discuss testing options.

The number of active cases is up for Somervell County right now.  We will continue to monitor and report what we can.  I do not think I can caution enough against becoming complacent due to this positive trend though.  When in groups larger than 6 persons (outside of your household), wearing masks, and aggressive hand sanitation is still indicated.  Social distancing is still important. Please be safe.

Please request testing from your provider if you have concerns about being infected.  I will say it again, it is better to test too much, than to not test enough.

I appreciate everyone’s continued time and efforts in fighting this disease, none of us are in this alone.  Together we can keep our community strong, safe, and moving forward.

Thank you!

Steven Vacek, M.D.

Glen Rose HealthCare Inc.

Somervell County Local Health Authority

PRESS RELEASE: COVID-19 UPDATE

October 16, 2020

Somervell County, Texas now has a total of 212 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of residents currently in home isolation with active cases is 5.  None of the patients are hospitalized at this time.  Using the guidelines from the State of Texas DSHS, we currently have 3 county residents who have died as a result of their COVID-19 infections.  You may notice that the “official” state number, and our number differ at this time.  We are working to reconcile those differences, and I will report them if they change.  We have had 202 residents recover from this illness.

Like most of you reading this release, I grow weary of this disease.  I cannot wait for it to go away, so that life can return to “normal”, whatever that may be.  Today, I am going to write about different topics than the standard for the last 5 months or so.  I am not reporting testing data any longer.  The State of Texas has pretty good numbers on the COVID dashboard page.  Due to visitation being allowed in nursing homes and assisted living centers, we are starting to see an increase in the number of people being tested multiple times.  This will give us a false low result, when the number of cases per 1000 population may actually be going up.  The statistic to follow is the percent positive for current tests, and is usually a 7 day rolling average.  Higher is bad, lower is good.

I am frustrated by our tendency to expect black and white answers to this virus, and how to combat it.  Too many people expect perfection, which is unattainable in either the prevention of or treatment of this disease.  Masks work.  There is no doubt scientifically.  Do they work all the time?  No they don’t.  Nothing does!  The most important function of a mask is to decrease the potential shedding from a presymptomatic or symptomatic patient to those around them.  There is evidence that suggests that asymptomatic patients are much less contagious overall.  Unfortunately, only hindsight is 20/20, and none of us can go back in time to put our masks on retrospectively.

Social distancing and handwashing remain very important as well.  Recent studies have indicated that the virus may remain viable on some surfaces for up to 28 days.  However, those experiments were done in total darkness.  The reason they were done that way is that UV light (daylight) is known to kill the virus.  This created an artificial environment for the purpose of this study, making it not very helpful or relevant for day to day life.   Still, washing hands helps to prevent us from acquiring a whole host of viral infections.  A recent release from the CDC states that under ideal circumstances, the aerosols (water vapor containing viral particles) can travel further than 6 feet from an UNMASKED person.  Singing, laughing, coughing, sneezing and shouting all have been shown to push particles further than the 6 feet previously recommended.  The limitation here is that this is noted to occur in “ideal” conditions with favorable humidity, wind etc…  Fortunately, that is not the environment that we normally live in.  This data is more relevant to academia, than to every day life as well.

Currently, most of our county cases are being acquired within the home, or recreational activities.  There has been no institutional spread in Somervell County in the past month or so.  Our neighboring counties continue to have significantly more cases than we do.  I believe that the risk level to all Somervell County residents is moderate.  Do not let your guard down yet.  Do not let COVID fatigue overwhelm you.  Continue to do your best to stay safe, and keep the others around you safe and healthy.

Recently a group of academics published a document calling for elimination of all “lockdowns” and immediate reopening of all businesses, schools, and extracurriculars.  Their perspective is that the collateral damage from the “lockdown” is more dangerous than the disease we are trying to control.  I find it very hard to argue with their position.  However, they do not offer any actual advice on how to protect the vulnerable and elderly in our society.  This is a significant weakness in their position.  The other side of the argument is that the lockdowns have worked.  However, that has been inconsistent at best across our country, and indeed, across the world too.  There is no doubt that the lockdowns have caused harm to many people.  Which is the lesser of two evils?  Only time will tell.  I know that answer does not make anyone very happy.  My opinion, is to gradually open things up, let business owners do what they are comfortable with, but mask wearing should be mandatory in certain circumstances.  I suppose that is straddling the fence, but that is really where the truth can be found most of the time.

I will continue to support Judge Chambers, and Mr. Rotan as they try to navigate these very challenging times.  Locally, we are also still limited by the State and TEA guidelines.

I also believe that the fastest way to pre-2020 normal, is through an extensive vaccination program.  The process these vaccines are going through, is the same that other vaccines have gone through, just on a condensed timetable.  I personally have a great deal of comfort with the amount of transparency we are getting during this process.

As always, contact tracer activity is ongoing with all new positive results, and all results are being reported to the State of Texas per DSHS guidelines.  Most contact tracing is performed by Texas Health Trace, and can be initiated online if patients wish.

Statewide, numbers have started to increase slightly in the last 2 weeks.  It is uncertain what to attribute this to, at this time.

Please be mindful that we are all neighbors, please respect the privacy of others.  The hospital, county, city and school districts are all required to follow HIPAA rules.  It is Glen Rose Medical Center’s policy not to release any demographic or patient information due to HIPAA laws.

Want to know more?

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website and Texas 2-1-1 remain the best sources of information for Somervell residents regarding COVID-19 testing and self-protection measures. DSHS updates their county-by-county tracking map daily at https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.

I would like to request that if you are ill, and think that illness might be COVID-19 due to your personal exposure history, please get tested.  It is far better to test too often, than to not test enough.  Increased testing will give us more accurate numbers to help guide decision making in our county and school district.  If people are choosing to not be tested, it makes getting accurate numbers all that more difficult.  If you have any concerns about your status, please call your primary provider to further discuss testing options.

The number of active cases is up and down for Somervell County right now.  We will continue to monitor and report what we can.  I do not think I can caution enough against becoming complacent due to this positive trend though.  When in groups larger than 6 persons (outside of your household), wearing masks, and aggressive hand sanitation is still indicated.  Social distancing is still important. Please be safe.

Please request testing from your provider if you have concerns about being infected.  I will say it again, it is better to test too much, than to not test enough.

I appreciate everyone’s continued time and efforts in fighting this disease, none of us are in this alone.  Together we can keep our community strong, safe, and moving forward.

Thank you!

Steven Vacek, M.D.

Glen Rose HealthCare Inc.

Somervell County Local Health Authority

PRESS RELEASE: COVID-19

October 1, 2020

Somervell County, Texas now has a total of 196 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of residents currently in home isolation with active cases has dropped to 4.  This number of active cases has gone up from 2 weeks ago, when briefly, we had no active cases in our county.  None of the patients are hospitalized at this time.  Using the guidelines from the State of Texas DSHS, we currently have 3 county residents who have died as a result of their COVID-19 infections.  You may notice that the “official” state number, and our number differ at this time.  We are working to reconcile those differences, and I will report them if they change.  We have had 189 residents recover from this illness.

The most recent testing data from Glen Rose Medical Center is unavailable at the time of this release.  In general, there has been a steady decline in the percent positive testing rate.  This decline is similar to what we are experiencing statewide.  When these numbers are available, I will have them posted.  The number of repeat tests will be going up, as people will need to test negative, prior to being allowed to visit loved ones in nursing homes or assisted living facilities.  This will be repeated every two weeks according to current guidelines.

We continue to have evidence of community and family spread in Somervell County.  Neighboring counties also have significant spread occurring. Overall, the activity of the virus in our county appears to be decreasing.  The risk level to all Somervell County residents is moderate.  However, due to our proximity to counties with a higher level of cases and community spread, we need to remain vigilant.  Contact tracer activity is ongoing with all new positive results, and all results are being reported to the State of Texas per DSHS guidelines.  Most contact tracing is performed by Texas Health Trace, and can be initiated online if patients wish.

COVID-19 will continue to impact our community.  So far, there has been a very limited number of cases identified in our schools.  The response of the school district has been swift and appropriate, with contact tracing and isolation of affected and exposed individuals.  At this time, there is no evidence of any infection resulting from an exposure through GRISD activities or campuses.  All infections identified in students or staff were acquired outside of school activities or locations.

Statewide, numbers continue to decline, but the rate of decline has slowed.  We are still far above the May-June baseline for numbers of new cases per day.  Wearing a mask when appropriate, as well as good hand hygiene, and social distancing remain our best weapons to prevent spread, until an effective vaccine is available.  The fastest way back to “normal” living will be an aggressive vaccination campaign with effective vaccines.

Please be mindful that we are all neighbors, please respect the privacy of others.  The hospital, county, city and school districts are all required to follow HIPAA rules.  It is Glen Rose Medical Center’s policy not to release any demographic or patient information due to HIPAA laws.

Want to know more?

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website and Texas 2-1-1 remain the best sources of information for Somervell residents regarding COVID-19 testing and self-protection measures. DSHS updates their county-by-county tracking map daily at https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.

PRESS RELEASE: COVID-19

September 3, 2020

Somervell County, Texas now has a total of 175 confirmed cases of COVID-19, the number of residents currently in home isolation with active cases has dropped to 11.  This is the lowest number of active cases we have seen for atleast 2 months.  None of the patients are hospitalized at this time.  Using the guidelines from the State of Texas DSHS, we currently have 3 county residents who have died as a result of their COVID-19 infections.  Our condolences and prayers go out to their families and friends.  We also have had two known deaths of patients who either died with COVID-19, but from another cause, or died shortly after recovering from their COVID-19 infection.  Again, our thought and prayers go out to their families and friends during these very trying times.  All of these patients had significant medical problems and/or risk factors.  This number has changed due to the data recorded on the death certificates, which have placed at least one death into different counties.  We have had 161 residents recover from this illness.

The most recent testing data from Glen Rose medical center shows a declining positive testing rate of 11.97% during the month of August.  This decline mirrors the statewide testing numbers, even though our percentage is lower than the state average.  GRMC has run 906 total PCR tests, and 867 antigen tests.  Some patients have been tested more than once for a variety of reasons, including repeated exposure to COVID-19 positive patients, possible recurrent exposures, or work related requirements.

We continue to have evidence of community and family spread in Somervell County.  Neighboring counties also have community, family and institutional spread that is ongoing. Overall activity of the virus in our county appears to be decreasing.  The risk level to all Somervell County residents is still substantial, however, this is, in a large part, due to our proximity to counties with a higher level of cases and community spread than what he are seeing here.  Contact tracer activity is ongoing with all new positive results, and all results are being reported to the State of Texas per DSHS guidelines.  Most contact tracing is performed by Texas Health Trace, and can be initiated online if patients wish.

COVID-19 will continue to impact our community.  So far, I have been very pleased with the very limited number of cases identified as having a potential impact on our students, teachers, and staff.  Now that we have gone back to school, I would like to remind people that social distancing, aggressive hand hygiene, and wearing masks in appropriate situations, are the best ways to protect themselves from getting the virus.  It is still early, but at this time, there is no evidence of any infection resulting from an exposure through GRISD activities or campuses.

Please be mindful that we are all neighbors, respect the privacy of others and follow HIPAA guidelines.  It is Glen Rose Medical Center’s policy not to release any demographic or patient information due to HIPAA law.

Want to know more?

Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website and Texas 2-1-1 remain the best sources of information for Somervell residents regarding COVID-19 testing and self-protection measures. DSHS updates their county-by-county tracking map daily at https://dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.

I would like to request that if you are ill, and think that illness might be COVID-19 due to your personal exposure history, please try to get tested.  Having accurate numbers to help guide decision making in our county and school district is very important.  If people are choosing to not be tested, it makes getting accurate numbers all that more difficult.  If you have any concerns about your status, please call your primary provider to further discuss testing options.

The number of active cases has taken a very positive movement for Somervell County.  Hopefully this will continue.  I caution against becoming complacent due to this positive trend though.  When in groups larger than 6, especially in outside your household, wearing masks, and aggressive hand sanitation is still indicated.  Social distancing is still important. Please be safe.

I appreciate everyone’s continued time and efforts in fighting this disease, none of us are in this alone.  Together we can keep our community strong, safe, and moving forward.

Thank you!

Steven Vacek, M.D.

Glen Rose HealthCare Inc.

Somervell County Local Health Authority

COVID 9-3-2020