CONROE, TX -- Montgomery County Public Health District, in conjunction with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management, can confirm the county’s first presumptive positive case of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) in a patient being treated at a local hospital. The positive test has been submitted to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for final confirmation. The patient is a man in his 40s and is a resident of Montgomery County. MCPHD epidemiologists are investigating other details including travel history.



All healthcare providers are following strict guidelines from the CDC in all interactions with the patient. The patient is under isolation at a local hospital, and the risk to the general public remains low. Out of an abundance of caution and in accordance with HIPAA, we are not releasing the identity of the patient, or the hospital where the patient is being treated. Precautions are being taken to ensure the safety of other patients in the hospital.



At this time, there is no vaccine to protect against COVID-19, and no medications approved to treat it. Non-pharmaceutical interventions like hand-washing, disinfecting surfaces around your home, and staying home when you are sick are the most important response strategies.



Although the risk for the general public in Texas remains low, the Texas Department of State Health Services is urging health care professionals to ask patients with respiratory symptoms about their travel history and contact their local or regional health department if they think a patient may have COVID-19. DSHS is working with local health departments to monitor and assess people with recent, relevant travel history for possible COVID-19 testing.



All travelers who have returned from flagged countries should stay home and monitor themselves for symptoms for 14 days. They should consult with a health care provider if they develop fever, cough or shortness of breath within that period. Local health departments across the state are in contact daily with returned travelers to verify that they remain symptom-free.



Human coronaviruses most commonly spread from an infected person to others within about six feet through respiratory droplets released into the air by coughing and sneezing, close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands; touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose, or eyes before washing your hands; and rarely, fecal contamination.



Patients with confirmed 2019-nCoV infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough, and/or shortness of breath. The CDC believes that symptoms of 2019-nCoV may appear in as few as 2 days or as long as 14 days after exposure.



If you are a healthcare provider, be on the look-out for people who recently traveled from flagged countries and have fever and respiratory symptoms. If you are a healthcare provider caring for a COVID-19 patient or a public health responder, please take care of yourself and follow recommended infection control procedures. If you have potentially been exposed to someone sick with COVID-19 in the last 14 days, you will face some limitations on your movement and activity. Cooperation is integral to the ongoing public health response to try to slow spread of this virus. If you develop COVID-19 symptoms, contact your healthcare provider, and tell them about your symptoms and your travel or exposure to a COVID-19 patient before arriving to seek medical care.



The best way to prevent infection is to take precautions to avoid exposure to this virus, which are similar to the precautions you take to avoid the flu.



· 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.



· Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.



· Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.





For more information, please see https://www.dshs.texas.gov/coronavirus/.