3 More Die Of Coronavirus In WilCo As Illness Count Exceeds 3K

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Three more people have died of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours, health officials said Monday, raising the fatality count to 45. Since Friday, July 3, the county has reported 682 additional cases of the respiratory illness.

In terms of the latest deaths, patient privacy laws preclude health officials from providing details,. However, the three who died were described as two men in their 60s and 70s and a woman in her 70s.

“It is difficult to start the week off with the devastating news of three lives lost too soon," Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell said in a prepared statement. "As Texans, we must continue to work as a family and look out for one another. Face coverings are a sign of this support, because by wearing them, you are protecting others from possible exposure to the disease. It is equally important that you wash your hands, cover your cough or sneeze, and continue to clean frequently touched surfaces.”

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The total number of confirmed cases of respiratory illness in Williamson County to date stands at 3,151 as of Monday, with 108 patients currently hospitalized — 31 at intensive care units and a dozen on ventilators. The updated count represents a 682-case increase from July 3 — the last date for which figures were available until Monday as health officials paused the dashboard for what officials termed as a data transfer.

Last Friday, the historical illness count for the county was 2,469 confirmed diagnoses, including 102 people hospitalized and 972 recoveries.

The three latest deaths reported on Monday follow another three fatalities reported the previous Friday. Three people died of the coronavirus over the past 24 hours, Williamson County health officials said on Friday, raising the historical death toll to 42. Health officials described the deceased as a man in his 50s, another in his 60s and a woman in her 90s.

The scourge of coronavirus has been particularly lethal in Williamson County in the past two weeks. On June 30, two women in their 50s and 80s were reported to have died of the illness. Last Monday, two more patients — men in their 40s and 80s — succumbed to the virus preceded the previous Sunday by a man in his 40s and days before by the deaths of two elderly patients.

All told: 13 deaths in about two weeks' time for the rampant illness for which no vaccine exists.

The latest pair of deaths has added to a string of fatalities blamed on coronavirus in less than a week's time. On Monday, health officials reported the death of two patients, a man in his 40s and another in his 80s. The previous Sunday, a man in his 40s succumbed to the illness preceding a pair of elderly patients who died of coronavirus last Friday.

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For more information on the latest COVID-19 cases count in Williamson County, please visit the Williamson County and Cities Health District dashboard at www.wcchd.org/COVID-19/dashboard.php. The dashboard information is updated daily.

Those with symptoms of respiratory illness such as cough, fever, and shortness of breath, are urged to contact your health care provider. However, health officials remind residents to call ahead before arriving at a clinic, urgent care, or emergency department to avoid further spread o the rampant respiratory illness for which there is no vaccine.

For information related to the county's response to COVID-19, go to www.wilco.org/COVID-19.