First Case of COVID-19 Confirmed in San Antonio
March 13, 2020 - San Antonio
Late Thursday night, San Antonio confirmed its first travel-related case of COVID-19. Pictured is a transmission electron microscopic image of an isolate from the first U.S. case of the coronavirus, which has caused a worldwide pandemic. Photo: Hannah A. Bullock and Azaibi Tamin.
By Jade Esteban Estrada - Staff Writer, San Antonio Sentinel
Friday morning, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg issued a public health emergency declaration after the city’s first COVID-19 case was confirmed late Thursday night. The case is related to out-of-state travel and is not, the mayor specified, related to the repatriated evacuees that have been quarantined at Lackland Air Force Base.
“The fact that we have a new case of COVID-19 in our city is not surprising,” Nirenberg stated, maintaining a calm, positive attitude during the press conference at Plaza de Armas. He reiterated the importance of practicing social distancing, washing hands with soap and water, not touching one’s face, and staying home if any of the three major symptoms (dry cough, fever or shortness of breath) are present.
On March 2, Nirenberg issued a week-long public health emergency declaration after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discharged a COVID-19 patient who, after twice testing negative for the illness, tested positive for the coronavirus following a third test. The patient was in the San Antonio community for approximately 12 hours and possibly had contact with about 21 people before being taken back to Lackland.
The public health emergency declaration that was issued today prohibits gatherings of 500 people or more. Additionally, the mayor strongly advised that citizens refrain from attending gatherings of 250 or more. “Large crowds can increase the risk of spreading the coronavirus,” he said, adding that the primary goals on his watch are “prevention and containment” of the virus.
Next week, the mayor and members of San Antonio’s city council will examine the need to extend the emergency declaration for an additional 30 days.
“We will get through this,” said San Antonio Mayor Nirenberg after issuing a public health emergency declaration in response to San Antonio’s first travel-related case of COVID-19. Photo: Jade Esteban Estrada.
“Banning gatherings of over 500 people will be a step in the right direction,” said Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, who announced that the county will not be convening juries at the courthouse for the next 30 days. He hopes this measure will provide an extra safeguard for county employees.
In an off-the-cuff learning moment, Wolff pointed out the purposeful distance between the seated individuals in the audience, which was an example of the social distancing originally recommended by the CDC.
“This is a quickly evolving situation,” said Dawn Emerick, director of San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. “This person is in self-quarantine, along with their family. They are in stable condition,” she reported. “This person began showing symptoms earlier this month [and] tested positive for COVID-19 yesterday, March 12.”
Metro Health is currently conducting an extensive contact investigation of the patient’s history.
RELATED: Mayor Nirenberg Issues a Public Health Emergency Declaration
“We have to stay the course,” said Emerick. “Based on what we know about COVID-19, there is a higher risk among adults 60 years and older.” She added that people with certain health conditions like heart disease, lung disease, diabetes, kidney disease - as well as individuals with a weakened immune system - are particularly vulnerable to the illness.This most-at-risk group also includes those who are pregnant or were pregnant within the last two weeks and individuals who are experiencing homelessness.
Those who fit this description are advised to avoid gatherings of ten people or more unless absolutely essential. “If you can telecommute or stay home, you should,” Emerick advised. “Avoid people who are sick. Even if you see a cough, just try to avoid it; you don’t know what kind of respiratory illness it is. It could be the flu, it could be anything.” She also said that it would be a good idea to plan ahead by identifying the person who would be able to take on the role of caregiver in the event that one’s primary caregiver becomes ill.
“The bottom line is that we are absolutely aware of the presence of COVID-19, not only in our community, but we are watching across the state and across the country and all steps are being taken to keep everything isolated as much as we can,” Emerick said.
Lastly, in response to the widely discussed question of testing for the virus, Emerick explained how Metro Health has revised their criteria to make COVID-19 testing more accessible to the community. “Remember, testing happens with the provider. It doesn’t happen with [Metro Health],” she said. “We are the supplier of the testing. It’s your provider that can make the call on the test. If you have symptoms, call your provider.”
To avoid unintentional spread of the virus if one has it, Emerick also encouraged the practice of calling ahead to schedule an appointment with a doctor instead of going in as a walk-in patient.
“What I’m hearing a lot of is, ‘Well, I need to go see if I have it.’ That’s not what these tests are,” Emerick said, adding that a patient must first have symptoms in order to be tested. “The tests are diagnostic tools, they are not screening tools.” She also announced that there are three labs that are currently offering [the coronavirus tests]: Metro Health, LabCorp and Quest [Diagnostics]. This list, she said, will grow in the near future.
Emerick also stressed the importance of having consideration for frontline health care workers. “If our health care workers go down, this becomes a problem. Do not go to the [emergency room],” she said. “The ER is the last resort. You could expose many people to COVID-19.”
RELATED: Diamond Princess Cruise Evacuees to Be Released from COVID-19 Quarantine
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood explained that the fire department is also practicing social distancing when responding to 911 calls. If any of the three major symptoms are described by the caller, the dispatcher will ask if the caller has recently traveled or has been in contact with someone who has traveled recently. “We will assess you from six to eight feet away until we can get a determination on what your status is. Our guidelines are to insure that the firefighters are safe,” he said.
In response to the uptick in sales of hand sanitizers that has resulted in some stores temporarily selling out of these types of products, Emerick offered some basic insight: “Bleach and water works wonders if you’re trying to wipe down surfaces,” she said.
For those who are able to receive coronavirus updates from the City on their phone, Emerick plugged the Ready South Texas app that is up and running and at present has four news updates.
“We will get through this,” said Nirenberg. “San Antonio is a resilient city. It’s a city where we get things done through teamwork.”
In response to a question about citizens who may be stockpiling food and supplies, Nirenberg said, “Obviously, hoarding is not a good behavior when we’re trying to stay prepared.” He then read a statement from the grocery chain H-E-B, which stated that they have been preparing for this situation for many months, that their “supplies are adequate” and that they hoped that customers would understand that “hoarding is not necessary or productive in this matter.”
Some of the content of the press conference was translated in Spanish and all of it was translated simultaneously in American Sign Language.
Happily, social distancing gestures like the elbow bump seem to require no translation.
Jade Esteban Estrada is a staff writer at the San Antonio Sentinel, where he covers public health and other citywide issues. He can be reached at jade@sasentinel.com.