First Texas Coronavirus Case Confirmed In Fort Bend County

The first case of the new coronavirus known as COVID-19 has been diagnosed in a Texas patient, according to Fort Bend County Health and Human Services. The case is a presumptive positive as the testing was done locally and will now be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for further confirmation.

According to Fort Bend County health officials, the patient is a man in his 70s who recently traveled abroad. He is listed in stable condition at the hospital.

"This presumptive case is actionable and we are treating it as a positive," health officials said in a statement.

Officials are now working to identify anyone who had close contact with the man.

"This is a rapidly evolving situation and we know it is concerning and unsettling for our residents," officials said in the statement. "We want you to remember there are things you can do to protect yourselves and your families. Remaining calm is of utmost importance."

This week, Vice President Mike Pence announced the CDC would lift restrictions on coronavirus testing, allowing for a much larger group of people exhibiting symptoms to be directly tested for COVID-19. Locally, the Houston Health Department said Wednesday that it is testing for the new coronavirus.

The department's lab serves as the regional public health laboratory for a 17-county region of Southeast Texas. The Houston Health Department lab currently has one testing kit with capacity to test 700 specimens, which equates to approximately 350 patients.

While this is the first confirmed case in Texas, patients with COVID-19 who had been repatriated from the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan and from Wuhan had been under a federal quarantine at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio. Officials in San Antonio had filed a suit to halt those in quarantine from being released after a person visited a local shopping mall while having a "weakly positive" result for the virus. Those in quarantine began to be released this week.

Fort Bend County health officials offered the following guidelines the public should follow to help:

1. Do not go to the emergency room unless essential.Emergency rooms need to be able to serve those with the most critical needs. If you have symptoms like cough, fever, or other respiratory problems, contact your regular doctor first.
2. Practice healthy hygiene habits every day to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, such as:
   • Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after going to the bathroom; before eating; and after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.
   • Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
   • Stay home when you are sick.
   • Cover your coughs and sneezes. If you don’t have a tissue, cough or sneeze into your upper sleeve, not your hands. Remember to wash your hands after coughing or sneezing.
   • Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household cleaning spray or wipe
3. Stay informed. Information is changing frequently. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter (@FortBendHealth) and check our website for regular updates.

Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner issued the following statement after news of the presumptive positive case:

"I know many Houstonians may feel anxious after learning of the presumptive positive COVID-19 Fort Bend County resident. I want to assure everyone that the city of Houston Health Department is closely monitoring the developments and collaborating with regional, state and federal health authorities.

"For the general public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time, the immediate health risk from COVID-19 remains low. If you have not been around anyone with COVID-19 or have not visited an ongoing outbreak area, you are currently not considered to be at risk.

“While people need to remain vigilant, there is currently no need for average Houstonains to take out-of-the-ordinary protective actions. People should continue to practice routine healthy hygiene habits to help prevent the spread of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, such as washing hands frequently, covering coughs and sneezes, avoiding touching eyes, nose and mouth, and staying home if sick.

“I also remind Houstonians there is no need to go the emergency room unless you have a medical emergency. Emergency rooms need to be able to serve those with the most critical needs. If you have symptoms like cough, fever, or other respiratory problems, contact your regular doctor first.”

“While there are currently no confirmed cases in Houston, this is a rapidly evolving situation and additional cases are expected.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.