Coronavirus: 2 More Deaths Bring WilCo Fatality Count To 27

WILLIAMSON COUNTY, TX — Two more people were reported to have died of the coronavirus on Thursday, bringing the total fatality count to 27.

Health officials said two men — one is his 70s, the other in his 80s — were the latest to succumb to respiratory illness. Williamson County and Cities Health District officials noted their inability to provide more details in compliance with patient privacy protection laws.

“In the midst of this pandemic and social crisis, we unfortunately also continue to deal with loss of life as a result of COVID-19," Williamson County Judge Bill Gravell said in a prepared statement responding to the first reported death of the septuagenarian. "Let’s do our part as a community to lift others up that may be hurting and support families affected by this disease."

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Gravell urged residents to continue practicing physical distancing while wearing fabric face coverings to help mitigate the spread of respiratory illness. "The best form of support, in my opinion, is following social distancing, wearing a face covering even if it’s not mandatory, and staying home if we are feeling ill."

He also urged resident to check in on elderly neighbors to ensure they are healthy: "Most importantly, we continue to see how our elderly are being impacted. Please keep them in mind and try to stay away from them for now so that we can preserve their life.”

Related stories:

• Coronavirus: WilCo Illness Count Grows To 649, 13 More Cases
• WilCo Judge Under Fire For Violating Own Stay-At-Home Order

The latest numbers in terms of the illness count were not yet available at noon, as statistics are updated daily by 4:30 p.m. on a dashboard maintained by the Williamson County and Cities Health District. On Wednesday, the number of cases of the coronavirus in Williamson County grew by 13 on Wednesday, bringing the total to 649 since the onset of illness.

Patch will update this story when the new figures are updated on Thursday afternoon.

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

Those experiencing symptoms of respiratory illness such as cough, fever, and shortness of breath are urged to contact their health care providers. Health officials remind resident to call ahead before arriving at a clinic, urgent care or emergency department to avoid further spreading illness.

For information on the county response to COVID-19, visit www.wilco.org/COVID-19.