From City of Nacogdoches and the Nacogdoches County Emergency Management Center

Strategic testing designed to identify, isolate, and contain the COVID19 virus was
ordered by the Governor on May 11 and continues this week in Nacogdoches. This
process is expected to result in an uptick of case counts in Nacogdoches County
simply due to the sheer number of tests which will be administered. Testing continues
at nursing homes, industries and among healthcare workers.

Before these test results become available it is important to note, at time of publishing,
Nacogdoches officials have identified a potential flattening of the curve based on a
moving 7, 14, and 21 day average of daily case counts. Dr. John Hellerstedt,
Commissioner of the DSHS , recommended in a press conference on Monday that
tracking cases in a daily average is the best manner to capture a true picture of data
trends. Case counts are fluid and it is difficult to reconcile local numbers and state
numbers on any given day.

Information on exposure origin is obtained after the state completes a contact
investigation which begins simultaneously as cases are confirmed to local officials. Initial
case reports do not always include exposure source. DSHS reports cases as quickly as
possible while still doing their contact investigation to identify patient contact with others
and estimate where the virus could have been contracted.

Although exposure sources cannot always be precisely pinpointed, it is presumed the
following breakdown of cases can be attributed to these locations in our community:
It should be emphasized that less than 30% percent of confirmed local cases can be
attributed to community spread and this percentage is lower than last week’s analysis.
However, the public should remain diligent in social distancing, hand washing, and mask
wearing. DSHS anticipates a bump in numbers 10-15 days after Phase 1 to Open Texas,
Mother’s Day, and Texas Military Department Surge teams’ increased testing as
indicated in the corresponding trendline graph.

Local Resources & COVID-19 Support
Nacogdoches was one of the earliest adopters of a testing center due to strong
partnerships between the County, City, and medical communities. Local teams also
continue to provide education, medical support, and testing through the COVID19 hotline
for citizens feeling symptomatic. The Nacogdoches Coronavirus Call Center remains
open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m at 936-468-4787 but will be closed
Memorial Day, Monday, May 25. Callers will continue to be screened and testing will be
ordered by patients’ primary care physicians and offered at both hospitals and the East
Texas Community Health clinic. Testing capacity will remain the same but call volumes
and testing at each hospital continue to decrease at a steady rate each week. If patients
feel ill, they are encouraged to call their doctor, 911, or visit the hospital based on the
severity of the illness and symptoms.
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