CDC and City of San Antonio Confirm COVID-19 (Novel Coronavirus) Case in San Antonio
February 13, 2020 - San Antonio
This is a picture of CDC’s laboratory test kit for the 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV). CDC is shipping the test kits to laboratories CDC has designated as qualified, including U.S. state and local public health laboratories, Department of Defense (DOD) laboratories and select international laboratories. The test kits are bolstering global laboratory capacity for detecting 2019-nCov. Photo: Centers for Disease Control.
By B. Kay Richter - Writer, San Antonio Sentinel
Thursday morning, a confirmed case of the COVID-19 virus (previously known as novel coronavirus) was announced during a press conference by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Texas Department of State Health Services and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.
The patient was under a federal quarantine order at Lackland Air Force Base and had recently returned from Wuhan, China. Since December 31, 2019, the outbreak of respiratory illness has been an ongoing international crisis. The total number of 2019-nCOV cases within the United States now stands at 15.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said the collaboration between local, state and federal partners is working exactly as it was initially designed.
“We will continue to work together to protect our community from exposure to the virus,” he said.
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According to authorities, the risk to the public still remains low although this is the first confirmed case in Texas. The patient who tested positive for the virus is under the quarantine process and is being treated in maximum-level isolation. Reports indicate that the patient remains in stable condition.
Councilwoman Dr. Adriana Rocha Garcia has also asked for the public’s cooperation when dealing with the latest developments of the virus.
“As the representative serving the residents of Southwest San Antonio where JBSA-Lackland is located, I like to remind everyone that cooperation is essential to keep misinformation from spreading,” she said in a prepared statement.
The CDC and the City of San Antonio held a media briefing which can be viewed here.
B. Kay Richter is a writer and photographer residing in the Alamo City. Contact her at bkay@sasentinel.com