COVID-19 Invades Mason County With 10 Infected, Including the District Clerk

MASON, TX – After experiencing a bump in coronavirus cases, Mason has taken several measures to prevent the further spread of the virus.

According to a post on the city’s official Facebook page, in a matter of 7 days, the county confirmed 10 positive cases, including District Clerk Pam Beam who confirmed the diagnoses on Facebook.

“The story began with a group of 3 individuals working in a common office when each experienced mild symptoms of illness easily attributable to common causes like a cold, sinus infection or muscle aches due to physical activity,” said Sherry Alexander, PA-C in the statement.

“Fortunately for all of us, when the 3 individuals casually traded notes about their symptoms, they realized the commonality of the picture, considered it in the perspective of our current pandemic reality, and promptly sought medical care at our local clinic.”
“The medical provider evaluated each individually, and though their symptoms were marginally suspicious for Covid-19 infection, they were referred for testing the next morning, ‘just to be safe’.”

The three employees were asked to self-isolate and it was not deemed “necessary or appropriate to investigate further or make any public statement, given the low likelihood of Covid-19 as the culprit.”

Two days later all three employees tested positive for COVID-19. This prompted the testing of close contacts of the first three patients and those with suspicious symptoms. This led the confirmation of an additional seven individuals testing positive.

As a result, City Offices will be closed from April 27 – May 1 and plan to re-open on Monday, May 4. The offices will be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected. The city’s landfill has been closed to public access and Recycling Center is closed until further notice.

As of Tuesday afternoon, none of the positive patients have required hospitalization.

“Though it is never a good time for a pandemic, we are fortunate here in Mason to be one of the later counties to have to deal with Covid-19 infection. Now, with increased availability of testing and reliable results in 48-72 hours, we can promptly identify and isolate many individuals with infection and decrease the spread in our community.”

According to the post, the local Frontera Mason Clinic confirmed they have an adequate supply of testing kits and protective gear for employees who are administering the tests. Back-up testing is also available at the Heart of Texas hospital lab in Brady.

“Thus far, because Covid-19 infection rates have been lower in rural than urban areas, our regional hospitals continue to function well, with adequate staff, hospital beds, ICU beds, ventilators, personal protective gear, and supplies.”

“We in rural counties must to do everything in our power to prevent the spread of Covid-19 infection, to avoid overwhelming our healthcare facilities to the point where they cannot adequately care for the ill. Unfortunately, as some communities begin to relax restrictions, we in Mason must now increase our efforts and vigilance.”