2nd Coronavirus-Related Death In Texas Confirmed

TARRANT COUNTY, TX — The second new coronavirus-related death in Texas was confirmed by health authorities in Tarrant County late Tuesday.

Tarrant County Public Health confirmed an elderly man succumbed to the respiratory ailment at the Texas Masonic Retirement Center in Arlington, Texas. He was 77 years old. The man reportedly died on Sunday evening before health officials confirmed the fatality late Tuesday.

Health officials explained why they took the unusual step of providing specifics about where the man died, a move that typically would run counter to Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) provisions designed to safeguard patient privacy.

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"Information about the person’s residence is being released because the facility provides housing to retired persons and senior citizens who are most vulnerable to the effects of severe illnesses," officials said in a press advisory. "Tarrant County teams will work closely with the Retirement Center administration to assess the other residents and staff."

Tarrant County officials now are investigating as to the possible source of the infection toward determining who the patient may have come into contact with while he was ill, "...so that any close contacts can be appropriately isolated, monitored for symptoms and tested as needed," officilas wrote.

“On behalf of Tarrant County Public Health, I want to express our deepest sympathy to the family of this person,” Tarrant County Public Health Director Vinny Taneja said in a prepared statement, while declining to provide further details about the patient.

Once known as new coronavirus, COVID-19 causes respiratory illness with cough, fever, and shortness of breath, and may lead to bronchitis and severe pneumonia. The ailment is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that’s a close cousin to the SARS and MERS viruses that have sparked outbreaks in the past. The U.S. has now recorded more than 4,600 cases of COVID-19.

The death marks the second one in Texas blamed on the illness that the World Health Organization recently deemed to be a pandemic. Also this past Sunday evening, a man in his 90s died of the ailment in Matagorda County, some 85 miles outside of Houston. The man was the second patient in that county to have tested positive for COVID-19, officials said.

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In light of the death in Arlington — a city sandwiched between Dallas and Fort Worth — the health director for the county repeated advice being widely shared to avert further illness. “We want residents of Tarrant County to continue to be mindful of basic preventive measures to protect themselves from COVID-19 and other respiratory viruses,” Taneja said.

The tips include:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick. If you experience difficulty breathing, or persistent fever, call your primary care provider.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your sleeve.
• Frequently clean and disinfect touched objects and surfaces.

Officials assured the city's Public Health Authority is working closely with Tarrant County as well as state and federal health authorities to monitor and respond to what they termed as an "evolving" situation. “We are taking proactive measures and utilizing every resource available to us to help protect public health and prevent the spread of this disease in our community,” said Dr. Cynthia A. Simmons, Arlington’s public health authority, said in a prepared statement.

For more information, visit coronavirus.tarrantcounty.com or www.arlingtontx.gov/coronavirus.