FORT BEND COUNTY, Texas — With more than a 16% mortality rate, the elderly in Texas’ nursing homes is one of the hardest-hit groups of the COVID-19 pandemic. Soon, health officials should have a better understanding of how these nursing homes are holding up.
Earlier this month, Gov. Greg Abbott mandated that all nursing home residents and employees in Texas be tested for COVID-19. This is why Fort Bend County’s Commissioner’s Court signed off on a COVID-19 Strike Team.
Since last week, the newly formed team of volunteers has busy testing people at the county's 15 nursing homes.
“It consists of 65 firefighters that have volunteered from fire departments all around Fort Bend County,” said Brian Petrilla, assistant chief of EMS for Fort Bend County.
The team has been trained and supplied with COVID-19 tests and PPE. The team has already tested more than 800 people and plans to finish the remaining tests by the end of the month.
So far in Texas, there have been 3,622 confirmed COVID-19 cases in nursing homes with 873 in the Greater Houston Area alone, according to Texas Health and Human Services. With 599 reported fatalities, the mortality rate is more than 16.5%.
Once these COVID-19 tests results come back, the state should have a better understanding of the impact the virus has had on this group.
“We see this is our responsibility to take care of the most fragile citizens of our community,” Petrilla said.
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