The city of Friendswood sent out a press release Friday afternoon that an individual who tested presumptive positive in Galveston county is a Friendswood resident. The individual is quarantined in Austin.
According to the release, the individual is assumed to have limited contact with others in Friendswood. It is presumed that community spread has not occurred in Friendswood or Galveston County.
Published at 12:50 p.m., March 13
The Galveston County Health District on March 13 stated it has its first presumptive positive case of COVID-19, or the coronavirus, with a Galveston County resident who is quarantined in Austin. Results are pending confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The infected resident is a woman 30 to 35 years old. The case is directly related to Montgomery County's presumptive positive case involving a man in his 40s, according to a news release.
Austin Public Health tested the woman, who is quarantined in Austin. She lives in northern Galveston County.
The health district is not releasing the woman's identity but is conducting an epidemiological investigation to quickly identify any family, friends or co-workers the woman may have come in contact with, the release states.
“This is a rapidly evolving situation. We understand this presumptive positive case may concern our community, but at this time there is no evidence of community spread,” Dr. Philip Keiser, Galveston County local health authority, said in the release. “The immediate risk for Galveston County residents remains low. We have worked very hard planning and preparing for this moment. There are steps in place to safeguard the community.”
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The health district will hold a news conference at 1 p.m. at www.facebook.com/gchdinfo.
In the Bay Area, Clear Creek ISD, University of Houston - Clear Lake, San Jacinto College and College of the Mainland have all canceled classes next week to help prevent the spread of the virus. The Harris County Public Library has also suspended library programming, and several other local events have been canceled.
Additionally, League City is suspending programming and events through March 30, including recreational classes, sporting events, and library programming, though Helen Hall Library will remain open. Parks, besides Hometown Heroes Park, will also remain open, but facility rentals will be canceled and rescheduled.
For more information, visit www.gchd.org/coronavirus or call 409-938-7221.
