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COVID-19

Amid surge of COVID-19 cases, SMH offers update, new treatment

As the Delta variant causes positive COVID-19 cases to increase throughout the area, Stephens Memorial Hospital gave an update during their meeting Tuesday.

SMH CEO Brian Roland provided details regarding case counts, which as of Friday, Sept. 3 was at 85 active cases for Stephens County, according to the hospital’s weekly Facebook update. According to the same post, the Walker-Sayle Unit currently has 114 active cases, a sharp increase from eight active cases the previous Friday.

Hospital gives update as area COVID-19 cases surge

Stephens Memorial Hospital CEO Brian Roland gave a COVID-19 update Friday, speaking about limited ICU bed capacity around the state. Stephens County officials enacted Stage 4 restrictions at the end of July, after a spike in area COVID-19 cases. This is the second highest stage of the five-stage Community Health Plan created last July in conjunction with SMH and the city of Breckenridge.

BISD to follow TEA COVID-19 guidelines for upcoming school year

Breckenridge ISD will no longer be required to notify parents if their child has been in contact with a COVID positive individual, according to updated public health guidance released by the Texas Education Agency Aug. 5.

The BISD school board met last Monday to discuss the new guidance from the agency. The updated guidelines from TEA differ greatly from what the agency released at the start of the 2020-2021 school year, removing many requirements such as pre-screenings and contact tracing.

County, SMH discuss area COVID-19 spike

Stephens County officials enacted Stage 4 restrictions last Friday, after a spike in area COVID-19 cases. This stage is the second highest of the five-stage Community Health Plan which was created last July in conjunction with Stephens Memorial Hospital and the city of Breckenridge, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Stephens County, Stage 4 restrictions recommend members of the community observe social distancing, urge mask wearing regardless of vaccination status, encourage proper hand hygiene and recommend no unnecessary travel.

DSHS distributes vaccines for tenth week to providers

The Texas Department of State Health Services tasked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to ship 407,650 first doses of COVID-19 vaccines to 302 providers during the tenth week of COVID-19 vaccine distribution. Aside from large vaccine hubs, additional vaccines are still being distributed to smaller providers in other parts of the state including Stephens County.