ODESSA, Texas — Odessa and Ector County leaders came together on March 2 to talk about the possibility of a coronavirus outbreak in the community, and how it would be responded to.
Representatives from local hospitals, school leaders, first responders, and the Texas Department of State Health Services were there to answer and ask questions.
Some important takeaways from the meeting include.
- Setting up a central location for all virus screening
- Having a central information platform where official CDC protocols and guidelines can be posted that organizations can easily link to.
- Utilizing the state department as a point of contact for any confirmed cases.
- Reiterating the importance of hygiene and recognizing symptoms of the virus.
There were also some preventive measures that were discussed at the roundtable discussion. Some of these are already in place, while others are ready to be started as soon as possible.
Ector County dispatchers will have a new line of questioning when taking calls about a sick person.
Using guidelines from the CDC, dispatchers will determine if there is a risk of a possible virus contamination situation.
They'll then pass that information to first responders so the proper safety measures can be taken.
Medical Center Hospital now has coronavirus screening tests available. They're initial stock is at 50 tests, but we're told they will receive another 150 in the near future.
Odessa Regional Medical Center is also expected to receive screening tests in the near future.
As the Texas Department of State Health Services serves as the point of contact for confirmed cases within West Texas, officials say they will quickly release any new information to prevent the spread of misinformation.
The state service is also working on an awareness campaign for smaller communities where workers live in man camps to reinforce the importance of hygiene and symptom recognition.
There are zero cases of the Coronavirus in Midland, Ector or surrounding counties, but officials want to have a plan of action in case it shows up here.
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