A headline was posted on social media claiming that Bowie County’s positive COVID 19 cases had increased by 20 in one day. That is because the TDHS has now added TDCJ cases to local counties. However, the Joint Operations Center will still maintain individual numbers for both populations.
A post claiming that Bowie County positive COVID 19 numbers had jumped from 115 to 137 in a 24 hour period started all types of buzz on social media. So, what happened is that the Texas Department of Human Services decided to add state inmate numbers to the counties of the institutions. However, locally our health officials are maintaining the count on our “free” population. On Tuesday afternoon, Lisa Thompson, the Public Information Officer for the City of Texarkana, Texas said:
The official count of COVID positive cases in Bowie County remains at 115. The state of Texas Department of Health and Human Services added positive cases at the Barry Telford Correctional Facility to our count, but we are seeking to keep the two populations separate for clarity at this time. There have NOT been 22 new cases in the last 24 hours, but rather a change in the way the cases are counter by DSHS.
Bowie County’s positive case count remains at 115. For the latest local information, visit www.coronatxk.org
Positive COVID 19 cases in the counties surrounding Texarkana are remaining steady with the number of recoveries now more than new positive cases. With more testing being available, that shows that measures like limiting access, social distancing, and masks have helped to slow the spread of infection.
