LUBBOCK, Texas — Covenant Health released updated information Wednesday morning about its response to COVID-19 or coronavirus — the day after two cases were confirmed by the City of Lubbock on Tuesday evening.

Among other things, Covenant said, “There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at any Covenant Health hospital, urgent care center, clinic, etc.”

The city said one confirmed case was a resident of Lubbock. The other was a Hockley County resident who had been treated and tested in Lubbock.

Covenant said 10 patients have tested so far.

At the time of this article the Department of State Health Services had not yet provided a daily update. But as of March 17, DSHS listed 64 cases in Texas. KXAN.com was tracking 126 cases including two deaths on Wednesday morning in Texas.

COVID-19 was confirmed in all 50 states.

COVID-19 Answers to FAQs

AS OF MARCH 18, 2020 (9:05 am)

1) There are currently no confirmed cases of COVID-19 at any Covenant Health hospital, urgent care center, clinic, etc. Around ten patients have been tested so far.

2) Test results can take one to three days to be returned. The test is run locally by the City of Lubbock Health Department. A positive test will be returned within 24 hours while a negative result will be confirmed within three days. A negative test is run twice to ensure accuracy.

3) Visitors at all Covenant Health ministries (locations) will be limited. Leaders at Covenant Health have decided the best way to prevent unnecessary exposure to the virus is to limit the amount of people coming in and out of our facilities. This policy is changing frequently. Please reference our social media for our current visitor policy.

4) Social distancing is recommended. Viruses are more easily transmitted in small places with close contact. Doctors recommend avoiding areas with large numbers of people. Six feet of distance is the recommended safe distance according to experts.

5) COVID-19 is more fatal than flu, as of right now. Currently, data on how many people die from COVID-19 versus how many people actually have the disease is still being collected. Remember, in healthy adults, COVID-19 can present like any other virus, meaning they may not have been tested for the illness and therefore data goes uncollected. The death rate (number of deaths / number of cases) is probability of dying if infected by the virus. The chance of a person over 50 dying from the disease is significantly higher than a person under the age of 50. And the death rate is higher with each decade of life. Currently, the global death rate for any person over 80 is 21%. Those over the age of 50, men, pregnant women, and those with underlying health issues such as chronic illnesses, are at the highest risk of complications or death due to COVID-19. (All data provided by the World Health Organization)

6) Information on COVID-19 is constantly evolving. Covenant Health is receiving information from the CDC and other public/government health entities multiple times a day. We are doing our best to sort through that information as quickly possible, while still ensuring accuracy in our communication to our community. We will be sharing important information with our community as it becomes available.

7) The public can help by being vigilant, educated, and calm. Get information from approved sources such as the CDC, local health department, and hospital websites. Follow precautions such as good hand washing and avoiding travel to identified hot spots. Finally, stay calm. Local health care providers are prepared to handle patients should they present with COVID-19.

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EverythingLubbock.com continues ongoing coverage of coronavirus (COVID-19) recovery efforts in Lubbock and the South Plains