The Texas Medical Association (TMA) has shown support of the CDC’s recommendation that individuals should not be required to provide a negative COVID-19 test result or a note from a physician to return to the office or classroom after being sick, unless in specific circumstances.

Valerie B. Smith, a Tyler pediatrician and TMA COVID-19 Task Force member explained that a person can be healed from COVID-19 but still shed viral particles for weeks.

Smith further states that, “Requiring a test to return to work or school would potentially require a person to stay in isolation while no longer infectious.”

If a patient has gone ten days since the onset of symptoms and shown no fever for twenty-four hours and their other symptoms have improved, they are no longer infectious.

This can go up to twenty days for people with severe symptoms and those who are immunocompromised.

Visit g.is/1WDSrb to view the Health Department’s numbers, and all the information available.

Always remember that the numbers are what were reported from the state, and there are many factors included in counting numbers.

The website states that, “All data are provisional and subject to change.”

Also, make sure and pay attention to the tab. If you check there are a variety of tabs on the website ranging from positive cases in total, recoveries, deaths, actives cases, and much more information.

The following are the counts for positive test received in regards to COVID-19 testing in the five-county region.

As a note, the Texas Department of State Health Services COVID-19 dashboard is considered to be, “provisional and subject to change.”

Always follow the numbers officials report.

Numbers shown below are the current ACTIVE cases only.

–Freestone County – 57 (146 recovered) (Taken from the State of Texas Department of Health Services Case Count dated Sunday, August 23, 2020)

–Navarro County – 162 (1070 recovered) (Taken from the Navarro County Emergency Management website dated Monday, August 24, 2020)

–Limestone County – 168 (208 recovered) (Taken from the State of Texas Department of Health Services Case Count dated Sunday, August 23, 2020)

–Leon County – 117 (39 recovered) (Taken from Leon County’s website and dated Friday, August 21, 2020)

–Anderson County – 434 (278 recovered) (Taken from the City of Palestine press release dated Monday, August 24, 2020)

These numbers were collected at 5:00 p.m. Monday, August 24, 2020.

The inmate unit list has been shortened to only include the prisons in Freestone County and surrounding counties.

For more information on other units visit tdcj.texas.gov/covid-19/mac_dashboard.html and select desktop or mobile.

Current numbers of confirmed active case inmates in the State of Texas as of Sunday, August 23, 2020 are as follows :
–Beto – 1 inmate and 3 employees
–Boyd – 171 inmates and 6 employees
–Coffield – 2 inmates and 39 employees
–Gurney – 1 inmate and 5 employees
–Michael – 3 inmates and 9 employees
–Powledge – 9 inmates and 3 employees