Friday, April 26, 2024
Coronavirus has now taken the lives of three Hood County residents.
Two died Tuesday night at Lake Granbury Medical Center.
One of the victims was Diane Simons, 74, who had been in intensive care for three weeks, according to a family member.
Simons lived in the southern Hood County subdivision of River Run where she served as president of the property owners association.
Her niece, Tammy Moore, said she didn’t know where her aunt contracted the virus.
Simons, a diabetic, was retired from Lockheed Martin and loved camping, hiking and animals, her niece said. She also enjoyed water aerobics at the YMCA, according to Moore and social media posts.
A friend said on Facebook, “She lit up a room by her huge smile and infectious laugh. She was one of the most giving person(s) that I have ever met.”
Another Facebook post had this:
“You’ve been my best friend and helped me through so much. I miss our coffee and tea and having breakfast together even over the phone ... you’ve kept me going all these years and showed me I truly do have a place in this world and people that love me.”
Nine Hood County residents continue to fight COVID-19. Five have recovered.
Seven are believed to have contracted the highly contagious virus from travel, four from work contacts in the Metroplex, and five from infected family members, health authorities said. One does not yet have an identified source for COVID-19 transmission.
Hood County has substantial impact from COVID-19, according to Hood County Public Health Authority Dr. David Blocker.
“I have recommended to county and city leaders that we continue community mitigation strategies in our schools, workplaces, and community consistent with CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) guidelines for communities with ‘substantial’ impact or transmission of COVID-19,” Blocker said. “Hood County has physical proximity and intimate ties to the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex of over 7 million people, where significant spread of COVID-19 illness continues along with numerous deaths and community-wide transmission due to international ties to travel and commerce.
“In addition, the Hood County population is at higher risk for serious illness or death from COVID-19 transmission.
“Approximately 25% of our county population are 65 years of age or older, many have medical conditions which worsen complications from COVID-19, and we have a higher than average number of senior living communities, multigenerational families, long-term care and nursing home facilities.”
As of 11 a.m. Tuesday, 243 COVID-19 tests had been reported for Hood County resi-dents, with 216 negative cases and 10 pending laboratory confirmation. The HCN had not received another update from Blocker by the time it went to press Friday morning.
Hood County and city of Granbury websites have the latest guidance on social distancing and public health emergency measures enacted to protect local communities.
The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) website and Texas 2-1-1 remain the best sources of information for Hood County residents regarding COVID-19 testing and self-protection measures, Blocker said.
