70 percent of Amarillo nursing home staff, residents test negative for COVID-19
AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) - About 70 percent of staff and residents at nursing homes in the Amarillo area tested negative for COVID-19.
City of Amarillo Department of Public Health Director Casie Stoughton said 2,127 individuals received COVID-19 tests at nursing homes.
Out of the 14 nursing homes tested, 10 nursing homes have positive cases.
Stoughton said 71 percent of the tests came back negative, six percent tested positive and 23 percent of the tests are pending.
Along with nursing home COVID-19 tests still pending, officials are still waiting for about 70 percent of COVID-19 tests from the JBS meatpacking plant.
Mayor Pro Tem Fred Powell is reminding the public that as testing increases in area meat packing plants, cases will continue to rise.
The city is also anticipating an order for assisted living facilities to have tests conducted there, meaning that could be another reason numbers go up.
Stoughton said testing at assisted living facilities will work the same way nursing homes were tested, in which the Amarillo Fire Department will help administer tests and the state will pay for the tests.
While speaking about the virus, Public Health Authority Dr. Scott Milton said respiratory failure is the main cause of death.
Since the coronavirus hit Amarillo in March, Potter and Randall counties have a total of 34 deaths.
He also said a symptom that COVID-patients in Amarillo hospitals have experienced is blood clotting.
There are also 2,921 positive cases in Amarillo with a total of 2,266 in Potter County and 655 in Randall County.
Amarillo has more than 750 recoveries with Potter County at 578 and Randall County at 218.
Dr. Milton also gave an update COVID-patients at Amarillo hospitals.
With both BSA Health System and Northwest Texas Health System having remdesivir, both hospitals are treating COVID-patients with the drug.
NWTH has treated 15 patients and BSA has treated about five patients with remdesivir.
Dr. Milton said BSA has about 30 COVID-patients with 10 on ventilators and 14 in the ICU, which puts ventilator capacity about 60 percent.
NWTH has about 22 COVID-patients with four on ventilators and nine in the ICU. Ventilator use is about 28 percent and ICU capacity is about 61 percent.
Beginning next week, the city will only have a COVID-19 news conference on Wednesdays. City leaders will also discuss the virus on Tuesdays during their regular city council meetings.
City Manager Jared Miller said beginning today, Amarillo is in the next phase of the governor’s order.
There are 4,102 COVID-19 cases in the Texas Panhandle:
- Armstrong County: 3
- Briscoe County: 1
- Carson County: 6
- Castro County: 32
- Childress County: 2
- Collingsworth County: 4
- Cottle County: 4
- Dallam County: 28
- Deaf Smith County: 161
- Donley County: 27
- Gray County: 95
- Hall County: 2
- Hansford County: 19
- Hartley County: 12
- Hemphill County: 1
- Hutchinson County: 31
- Lipscomb County: 2
- Moore County: 583
- Motley County: 1
- Ochiltree County: 52
- Oldham County: 3
- Parmer County: 53
- Potter County: 2,266
- Randall County: 655
- Roberts County: 2
- Sherman County: 25
- Swisher County: 17
- Wheeler County: 15
Out of the confirmed cases, there are 1,575 recoveries in the Texas Panhandle:
- Armstrong County: 2
- Carson County: 1
- Castro County: 17
- Cottle County: 1
- Childress County: 1
- Dallam County: 17
- Deaf Smith County: 88
- Donley County: 23
- Gray County: 67
- Hartley County: 9
- Hansford County: 11
- Hemphill County: 1
- Hutchinson County: 22
- Lipscomb County: 1
- Motley County: 1
- Moore County: 447
- Ochiltree County: 18
- Oldham County: 2
- Parmer County: 5
- Potter County: 578
- Randall County: 218
- Roberts County: 2
- Sherman County: 20
- Swisher County: 10
- Wheeler County: 13
There have also been 71 COVID-19 related deaths in the Texas Panhandle:
- Castro County: 1
- Cottle County: 1
- Deaf Smith County: 13
- Gray County: 2
- Hansford County: 2
- Hartley County: 2
- Ochiltree County: 2
- Oldham County: 1
- Moore County: 13
- Potter County: 28
- Randall County: 6
There are 934 confirmed cases in the Oklahoma Panhandle:
- Beaver County: 24
- Cimarron County: 1
- Texas County: 909
There have been 801 recoveries in the Oklahoma Panhandle:
- Texas County: 801
There have been five COVID-19 related deaths in the Oklahoma Panhandle:
There are 96 positive COVID-19 cases across Eastern New Mexico:
- Curry County: 51
- Quay County: 5
- Roosevelt County: 37
- Union County: 3
There is one death related to COVID-19 in Eastern New Mexico:
- Quay: 1
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