Health officials: Three Bexar County employees now positive for COVID-19

Two more employees tested positive late Friday

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. | Illustration by Henry Keller (Henry Keller, KSAT)

SAN ANTONIOUpdate:

Two more Bexar County employees have tested positive for COVID-19, according to officials.

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The county was informed of the two additional positive cases late Friday, bringing the total number of county employees infected to three.

No other information on the employees has been released; however, the Metro Health Authority has notified other county employees that may have been exposed as a result of close contact.

Metro Health officials say the risk of anyone else being infected is low.

The areas where the employees were present have been throughly cleaned and sanitized out of an abundance of caution, according to health officials.

We’ll bring more details as they become available.

Original:

A female employee assigned to the Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department has tested positive for COVID-19, a county spokeswoman confirmed Thursday.

The woman, who has not been identified, is the first known case among Bexar County or City of San Antonio employees.

“Late Tuesday evening, the Juvenile Probation Department (JPD) learned of a staff member that has tested positive for COVID-19. However, this individual has not worked in any Bexar County facility for the last two weeks,” said Monica Ramos, a spokesperson for the county. “In consultation with medical professionals and in an abundance of caution, everyone who may have been in close contact has been notified. No other information on this staff member will be released.”

Multiple sources told KSAT that county department heads were informed about the positive diagnosis during a conference call Thursday morning.

As of Wednesday, 84 cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Bexar County. Of those, three people have died.

“We continue to monitor our children and staff carefully for any signs of illness,” Ramos said. “The JPD has also implemented increased cleaning and disinfectant protocols as a continued measure... In an effort to support family connections while keeping all children and staff healthy, all visits are currently being conducted by videoconference or extended phone calls only.”

More than 1,400 people in Texas have tested positive for COVID-19, Governor Greg Abbott said on Thursday.

This is a developing story. Stay with KSAT 12 and KSAT.com for the latest information.

COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March.

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About the Authors

Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year.

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