LaredoBuzz.Com

Courtesy Rafael Benavides,

LAREDO, Texas—The City of Laredo Health Department and the local health authority are providing a public update on cases of COVID-19 at our local hospitals.

There are 681 test results associated with Laredo Medical Center (LMC) (directly and indirectly): 164 positive, 495 negative and 22 pending.

Out of the 164 positive cases:

· 96 are health care professionals which represents a cross section of contract staff physicians and other hospital personnel
· 55 of these have already recovered but are pending to be retested, per City of Laredo Health Department and state guidelines
· 68 were patients that were either hospitalized or treated at LMC as outpatients

Laredo Medical Center, which is comprised of 1,200 employees, has been the primary COVID-19 hospital of the community and has treated over 90 percent of the patients. As a result, on April 17, a concerted effort between a team of epidemiologists from Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), the City of Laredo Health Department, and LMC executive staff conducted an onsite review to augment the hospital’s ongoing infection control program and included recommendations on how to further implement safeguards for staff and patients, many of which had already been discussed with LMC and were in place.

To date, at Doctors Hospital of Laredo, a total of 140 persons have been tested, composed of both patients and staff. The results show that 21 have tested positive, only 2 of which remain hospitalized, and 68 have tested negative. Fifty test results are still pending.

Of the 21 positive results at Doctors Hospital

· 2 were from health care professionals (community contact):
· 19 were from patients

The City of Laredo reminds the public to continue following public health guidelines and to prevent the transmission of COVID-19.