Two local children test positive for COVID-19
HOUSTON - 'NOBODY IS SAFE FROM THIS'
As testing increases across Texas, the number of confirmed Coronavirus COVID-19 cases continues to grow.
As of Saturday evening, roughly 150 people in the Houston area had tested positive for COVID-19. According to health officials, two of the most recent patients are children under the age of 10 years-old.
“All ages can get the disease,” said Dr. Suma Manjunath, a pediatrician. “I think once we see the testing capabilities improve, we will start seeing more children also getting positive results.”
According to a recent CDC report, roughly 8 percent of deaths associated with the Coronavirus are among adults 65 years of age and older. So far, less than one percent of deaths have been kids under the age of 19.
“Nobody is safe from the disease,” said Dr. Manjunath. "The message is that prevention is better than cure. At this point, we don’t have medications that really help with this disease.”
On Thursday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott ordered all schools to close statewide because of COVID-19. However, this order does not apply to children's daycares.
“It’s really not a good idea at this point to keep daycares open,” said Dr. Manjunath. “Everybody really needs to shelter at home.”
While many daycares remain open right now, there are additional safety/health measures in place. The CDC and Texas Health and Human Services department recommends no visitors and health screenings.
“It is very important,” said Dr. Manjunath. “At this point, we are going to see more and more. The more parking lots I see that are still full, it’s making me very nervous that this is not going to end if this is the case.”