Editor’s note: This story will be updated daily to reflect the latest coronavirus-related news in the Sugar Land and Missouri City communities.
Updated April 9, 9:09 a.m.
There are 437 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Fort Bend County, according to data released at 8 a.m. April 9.
The county also is reporting 32 people have recovered from the virus, up 10 from data released April 7. No new deaths have been reported.
In response to the coronavirus pandemic, Fort Bend County is applying for several grants that would help the county's social services and health and human services departments assist residents.
Additionally, Second Mile Mission Center told Community Impact Newspaper that before the coronavirus outbreak, it would serve 60 families a day. Now, any day the Missouri City nonprofit and food pantry is open, it is providing food to 500-700 families.
Updated April 8, 11:37 a.m.
In a April 8 press release, Fort Bend County officials said the large increase in cases seen yesterday is due to delayed lab results and late reporting to local government. The release says more than half of the tests for the nearly 100 new cases reported were performed more than a week ago and that labs are just now reporting the positive results to the county.
“The current delays in coronavirus lab test reporting is due to the rapid increase in test availability and variation in commercial lab reporting procedures," said Jacquelyn Minter, director of Fort Bend County Health and Human Services, in the release. "We expect to see an improvement in reporting as time goes on. However, these delayed reports remind all of us that it is vital the public follow health guidelines for those who experience symptoms of coronavirus before, during and after testing.”
The release says while the one-day increase in new cases is considered significant, it follows modeling for a coronavirus peak, which is expected around April 23.
Going forward, new case data will be posted at 8:30 a.m. each day on the Fort Bend County website, according to the release.
Updated April 8, 10:31 a.m.
Fort Bend County reported 99 new coronavirus cases from April 6 to April 7, bringing the total number of cases to 417. This is the single biggest daily jump the county has seen, according to publicly available data on the Fort Ben County website.
The county is reporting that as of 5 p.m. April 7, 22 people have recovered from the illness, and seven have died.
Although the majority of people with the virus remain at home, the county is reporting that 54 people have been hospitalized.
In other coronavirus-related news, Fort Bend ISD, which announced previously that in-person classes would be canceled through at least May 4, decided how student grades and GPA calculations would be recorded for the 2019-2020 school year.
Sugar Land City Council also voted to postpone the May 2 local elections until the Nov. 3 general election day due to concerns about the coronavirus.
Updated April 7, 5:22 p.m.
According to data released by Fort Bend County on the evening of April 6, there are now 318 confirmed cases of the coronavirus in the county.
The number of people who are reported to have recovered, and the number of people who have died from the virus did not change.
Updated April 6, 11:04 a.m.
Fort Bend County is reporting 280 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, according to data released April 5.
Since April 3, four more people in the county have been reported to have died from the coronavirus, bringing the total number of deaths in Fort Bend County to six. While the majority of confirmed cases are active, 15 people have recovered, according to the county data.
The county is updating case information daily around 4 p.m.
Posted April 3, 4:02 p.m.
Confirmed cases of the coronavirus in Fort Bend County have topped 200, according to county data.
As of April 3, Fort Bend County is reporting 221 confirmed cases of the coronavirus, up from 194 just one day prior.
So far, 10 people are reported to have recovered from the illness, and two have died from it, according to the county. Additionally, the majority of the people with active coronavirus cases—173—are at home, while 36 people have been hospitalized.
For Community Impact Newspaper’s previous reporting on Fort Bend County cases, click here and here.
Here are the latest coronavirus-related developments from around Sugar Land, Missouri City, Fort Bend County and Fort Bend ISD.
Sugar Land
United Memorial Medical Center opened a free, drive-thru testing site at the Smart Financial Centre on March 31. The location is open from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Monday-Friday and can test approximately 250 people a day.
Constellation Field opened as a donation location for personal protective equipment on April 1. Mondays-Fridays from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. the public can drop off masks, sanitizer, wipes and other protective gear. All unopened, unused supplies will be donated to Memorial Hermann Health System.
Missouri City
Council Member Jeffrey Boney announced on Facebook on March 28 that he had been hospitalized after testing positive for the coronavirus. Mayor Yolanda Ford and the rest of City Council extended well wishes to him at the March 30 special City Council meeting.
UT Physicians Multispecialty - Sienna began offering coronavirus tests April 2. In order to receive testing at this location, an individual must have an order from their doctor and call ahead to make an appointment.
Fort Bend County
Fort Bend County Judge KP George amended the “Stay Home to Safe Lives” order so it would be in effect through April 30. George initially issued the order on March 24, and it was set to expire April 3.
On April 1, the county released the first batch of survey results about how the “Stay Home to Safe Lives” order is affecting residents. According to the results, 53% of respondents said the order is enough to keep the county safe. The survey asked about employment information and how long residents could sustain their household financially if their workplace were to close.
The county, in conjunction with AccessHealth, opened a free, drive-thru coronavirus testing site on March 31. The physical location of the site will be given to patients after they complete an online screening.
Fort Bend ISD
Fort Bend ISD announced March 31 that schools will be closed and online learning will continue through at least May 4. FBISD’s announcement is in conjunction with an executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott that recommended schools remain closed for the remainder of April.
Teacher-facilitated online learning began on April 3.
