We have a total of 19 cases in Medina County, with the latest two cases being reported this past Friday, April 24th. A drive-thru testing event will be hosted this Saturday, May 2nd, but you must register for the free event.
“Of those 19 cases, 4 cases are active, 13 are recovered, and of course we had 2 deaths. Five are travel related, 11 are considered community transmission, and 3 are from close contact. The last two cases that we reported are from close contact,” stated Patricia Mechler, Medina County Health Unit.
“Our local clinics and hospital have sent off a total of 91 tests, and 16 results are pending at this time,” Mechler adds. “The state’s DSHS dashboard still shows that only 66 people have been tested, so those numbers are still not updated.”
We do not know the numbers of people who have been tested in San Antonio or anywhere outside our county.
Drive thru testing this Saturday
“We are going to have a drive-thru testing facility in Devine this Saturday. Registration begins on Thursday morning around 9 am, and you have to call the number on the ad. You must have symptoms and you must call in and make an appointment to be tested,” said Emergency Manager Keith Lutz.
“The testing will done at the new Devine Volunteer Fire station from 9-5 this Saturday and it is free,” Lutz said. “DSHS, STRAC and the State Guard will be handling most of the logistics of the actual testing.”
The new Devine Volunteer Fire Station is located near the Devine Middle School at 1419 County Road 5710, Devine, Texas 78016. You must call the number on the ad in this paper to make an appointment and register.
Opening up
Mechler stated, “I think we are going to have to be very cautious as we are opening up….We don’t need to get relaxed about it. I think if we can open up slowly, and if those who can work at home continue working at home, I think that is a good idea.”
Lutz adds, “We are a small county so we don’t have a lot of numbers to look at, but if we look at this from a statewide perspective, they feel like we are there at the peak and indications are that we are bending it down.”
“We were able to get more PPE to our fire departments, police departments and clinics this week,” Lutz adds.
When asked if Medina County would consider instituting a mask order, County Judge Chris Schuchart replied, “We are following the governor’s recommendations pretty closely….An order like that would be difficult to enforce.”
