Metro Health Confirms Investigation of Second Travel-Related Case of COVID-19 in San Antonio

March 14, 2020 - San Antonio

On Saturday, Metro Health confirmed the investigation of a second travel-related case of COVID-19 in San Antonio. Photo: Jade Esteban Estrada.

By Jade Esteban Estrada - Staff Writer, San Antonio Sentinel

On Saturday, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District (Metro Health) announced that they are investigating a second confirmed travel-related COVID-19 case. This individual who tested positive recently traveled to Japan and has a history of underlying health issues that placed them at a higher risk for contracting the coronavirus, a disease that is respiratory in nature.

This brings the number of travel-related COVID-19 cases in San Antonio to two. The first travel-related COVID-19 case was confirmed late Thursday night. In response to the development, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg issued a seven-day public health emergency declaration at a news conference Friday morning.

A detailed contact tracing investigation for the individual in the second case is already taking place and Metro Health said the information will be shared with the public when it is complete. Although the individual is currently receiving treatment, it is unclear whether they are being self-quarantined.

This confirmed case of COVID-19 is not a community-spread case. A community-spread case indicates that infection has been spread from a person who did not have exposure to the illness or a travel history.

After receiving authority from the State of Texas to revise its COVID-19 testing protocol, Metro Health also announced that they will be moving forward with new testing guidelines. This authority allows Metro Health to make testing more accessible and enables them to adjust criteria as needed to adapt to the community conditions.

Previous testing protocols required a person under investigation (PUI) for COVID-19 to have a travel history from China or Iran, two countries that are on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s level 3 risk list. The revised protocol removes travel history requirements from the criteria for testing. Japan, which was visited by the aforementioned individual involved in San Antonio’s second travel-related coronavirus case, is not on the CDC’s level 3 risk list, however, it did land on their level 2 list after a recent outbreak of rubella.

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention have advised “social distancing” to avoid possible exposure to COVID-19. Photo: Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

Metro Health advises patients to seek medical care from their primary care physician or urgent care provider if they do not have a primary care physician. Patients should not contact Metro Health directly to request testing as a health care provider must order the test. Patients should not go to emergency rooms to seek COVID-19 testing.

Here is the revised protocol for COVID-19 testing:

1) Testing should occur if a patient has a fever or shows signs or symptoms of lower respiratory illness such as cough or shortness of breath and the individual has had close contact with a laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 patient.

2) Testing should also occur if a patient has a fever and shows signs or symptoms of a lower respiratory illness and significant respiratory illness, such as the flu, has been ruled out and the patient has risk factors that place them at a high risk of poor health outcomes or the patient is a health care worker or first responder.

3) Testing should occur if a patient shows severe acute respiratory illness such as pneumonia or acute respiratory distress syndrome, which requires hospitalization and has a negative flu diagnosis and no source of COVID-19 exposure has been identified.

Metro Health has also extended their COVID-19 hotline hours. Residents may call 210-207-5779 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. This service is available in both English and Spanish.

Further information about COVID-19 is available on Metro Health’s website.

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.