Coronavirus: Lubbock Reaches 51 Positive Cases

LUBBOCK, TX – Coronavirus cases continue to climb in communities across the state, reaching 51 cases in Lubbock County. The city has announced a shelter-in-place order in an effort to contain the spread of the virus.

According to the county’s health department website, as of Sunday they had confirmed over 50 cases that vary in exposure type and age groups. The first confirmed case was reported 13 days ago, on March 17th. The city confirmed the first two cases it reported were travel related and clarified that they were not related. Since then the city has provided limited demographical information regarding patients

Based on the numbers provided by the city, exposure to known cases and community spread accounts for over 66 percent of the cases. Over 70 percent of confirmed cases are patients between the ages of 20 – 49.

The first COVID-19 death in the city was confirmed on March 28, 2020. According to an official Facebook post, the patient was a male in his 60’s that had underlying health issues. Before the first case was confirmed the city released a list of five possible locations in Lubbock where a low risk of exposure may have been present. The list has not been updated since March 16.

According to the shelter-in-place declaration all persons are ordered to stay at from from March 29, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. to April 3, 2020 at 11:59 p.m.

Key mandates include:

• Stay-At-Home other than travel for essential activities or to obtain essential goods and services
• No public or private gatherings of any size outside a single household
• Any person who is sick or experiencing COVID-19 symptoms OR who has tested positive for COVID-19 must Stay-At-Home other than necessary medical or emergency care
• No visits at nursing homes, retirement or long-term care facilities unless to provide critical assistance

Citizens may leave their homes to visit a doctor / dentist / healthcare provider, go to a grocery store, pick up food from restaurants, go to work at an essential business, pickup up pet supplies or veterinary appointments, go to home improvement or related stores, and participate in individual outdoor activities while maintaining social distance, and to care for family members or pets at another household. The full declaration can be accessed at the following link.

Here is a breakdown of the cases so far:

Types of Exposure

• (25) – Exposure to known case
• (9) – Community spread
• (5) – Travel out of the country
• (5) – Pending investigation
• (4) – Domestic travel
• (3) – Ongoing investigation

Age Groups

• (4)— Between 10 – 19
• (15) – Between 20—29
• (11) – Between 30—39
• (10) –Between 40 – 49
• (4) – Between 50—59
• (4) – Between 60—69
• (3)—Between 70—79

Midland County has confirmed 13 cases and one death, including a positive test on a child. Ector County and Tom Green County are both reporting 5 cases as of Sunday afternoon.

Texas has 2,552 confirmed cases and 34 deaths. The number of cases is expected to rise as labs receive more tests results.