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LOCAL COVID-19 LIVE BLOG: 6/21 - 7/5

Posted at 4:28 PM, Jun 21, 2020
and last updated 2020-07-06 13:33:47-04

Here's the place to come for the latest coronavirus-related news from the Coastal Bend. Check here often throughout the day for updates about our area and its response to this extraordinary, life-changing event.

You will find the latest information at the top of the story and all previously reported information below. We hope that including all these reports in one place will paint a more complete picture of the local response to the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Daily updates will continue to be provided via press releases and be updated here in our live blog and on kristv.com.

7/5 updates:

10:45 p.m. - 3 additional deaths reported Sunday bring Nueces county's death count to 17. Read the full story here.

Brooks County reports 1 new COVID-19 cases Sunday.

Kleberg County reports 10 new COVID-19 cases Sunday.

4:37 p.m. - Nueces County officials report an additional death Sunday related to COVID-19. The total is now 14 for the county.

According to Annette Rodriguez, Public Health Director, the patient was a female in her 80's. Her comorbidities included congestive heart failure and kidney failure.

4:30 p.m. - Nueces County officials report 203 new cases of coronavirus in the county Sunday. Read the full story here.

7/4 updates:

Refugio County Officials reported three new positive COVID-19 cases in the county.

Case #27: Male in his 20's and is currently isolated.

Case #28: Male in his 30's and is currently isolated.

Case #29: Female in her 30's and is currently isolated.

Refugio County has Twenty (20) Active cases and Nine (9) Patients Recovered.

Brooks County reported 3 new cases, raising their total COVID-19 case count to 9.

9 p.m. - Jim Wells County reports 4 new cases.

6:26 p.m. - Nueces County has reported two additional COVID-19 deaths Saturday. This adds to the one death reported earlier today making Saturday's death count three. There are now 13 county deaths related to the virus since the beginning of the pandemic.

5 p.m. - Nueces County reports 321 new COVID-19 cases. Read the full story here.

3 p.m. - The Department of State Health Services site is reporting 54 cases in Duval county.

2:30 p.m. - Jim Hogg Country is reporting 19 COVID-19 cases. They added three, seven are active and 12 have recovered.

1:50 p.m. - Nueces County Public Health District reports an additional death of a Nueces County resident due to COVID-19.

She was in her 60's and was hospitalized in July. She also had diabetes and coronary artery disease.

This is the eleventh death reported in the county. Read the full story here.

7/3 updates:

9:31 p.m. - Kleberg County is reporting eight new COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total to 87. There are 51 active cases in the county.

9:18 p.m. - Jim Wells County is reporting nine more cases of COVID-19, bringing the county's total to 185.

9:15 p.m. - Refugio County is reporting an additional eight COVID-19 cases. There are 17 active cases in the county.

4:43 p.m. - Nueces Co. is reporting 254 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total of reported cases to 3,272. Of those patients, 393 have recovered.

4:42 p.m. - Aransas Co. is reporting seven new cases, which gives it a total of 187 total reported cases.

12:40 p.m. - The Corpus Christi-Nueces Public Health District has received confirmation of the 10 death of a Nueces County resident due to COVID-19.

Noon - Refugio County is reporting four new cases. They now have 10 active cases.

10 a.m. - Bee County now has 3 additional cases, bringing its total to 36.

7/2 updates:
10:44 p.m. - Jim Wells county is reporting nine new cases. A case assigned to the county June 24 turned out to correspond to a different jurisdiction, so its total number of confirmed cases is 176.

9:28 p.m. - Kleberg County is reporting two more COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total count to 79. There are 47 active cases in the county.

6:43 p.m. - Ninety minutes into Thursday's daily city-county joint news conference, A&M-CC researcher Christopher Bird estimated that 1 in 25 Corpus Christi residents has COVID-19.

"There's no shame in getting COVID," he said. "It's important to contact your medical professional and quarantine and not pass it on."

4:59 p.m. - Nueces County is reporting 262 new cases on Thursday. A total of 181 patients have been hospitalized, and 55 of those patients are being treated in intensive care. Of the total of 3,018 cases reported in the county, 367 cases have recovered.

4:45 p.m. - Several nurses who work at Christus Spohn Hospital tested positive for COVID-19.

Annette Rodriguez, the Nueces Co.-Corpus Christi Public Health Director, said it's hard to tell how many nurses tested positive because the volume of new cases. However she did suggest the number is likely around 15.

3:48 p.m. - Aransas County is reporting four additional COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total to 24.

2:55 p.m. Kleberg County is reporting six (6) more confirmed cases in the county, which brings its total to 77, with 47 of those cases still considered active.

12:55 p.m. - San Patricio County officials announced 10 new cases in their county. That would bring their total COVID-19 case to 187. 68 people have recovered from the virus.

11:55 a.m. - Another Kingsville HEB employee tested positive for COVID-19. The employee was last in the store on June 22.

9:55 a.m. - Duval County officials reported four new COVID cases last night. Those new positive cases push the county's total to 54.

9:45 a.m. - Refugio County officials have reported one new positive COVID-19 casein the county. It is the 14th case reported in the county so far.

The latest person to be diagnosed is a male in his 60's. He is currently isolated.

Refugio currently has eight active cases.

7 a.m. - Jim Hogg County is reporting a new COVID-19 case, putting them at 16. Four of these have recovered.

7/1 updates:
11:20 p.m. - Jim Wells County reported 19 new COVID-19 cases on Wednesday.

9:51 p.m. - Kleberg County is reporting six new COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total to 77.

47 cases are active.

9:45 p.m. - Brooks County is reporting an additional three COVID-19 cases.

Kleberg County beaches will be closed for the holiday weekend from July 3 to July 7. Boat docks will remain open.

5:05 p.m. - Nueces County reports new single-day high of 362 cases. Those numbers do not include the patients who were tested during Wednesday's large drive-through testing event at Concrete Street.

Hospitals are still treating 170 patients, with 58 in the ICU, and 331 of the total 2,756 cases in Nueces County have recovered. Nine have died. Officials also said it is harder for the county to be able to differentiate Nueces Co. residents from other area counties.

Officials also announced Corpus Christi has the highest per-capita growth for new cases in the state, saying the area is experiencing a third wave of the virus. The county has averaged 250 new cases a day for the last seven days, and 19,161 tests have been done.

3:30 p.m. - Nueces county has announced the 9th COVID-19 related death Wednesday. Read more about it here.

1:40 p.m. - Refugio county officials report three new positive COVID-19 cases in Refugio county. They currently have seven active cases according to Sheldon Wiginton, Emergency Management Coordinator in Refugio county.

6-30 updates:

10 p.m. - Kleberg County is reporting an additional five residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the county's cumulative total to 71.

55 cases are from the month of June alone.

Meanwhile, there are 43 active cases in the county and nine additional people have recovered.

7 p.m. - Texas A&M University Kingsville reports two staff members who tested positive for COVID-19.

The staff members were last on campus June 2 and June 18.

The University is conducting contact tracing and disinfecting affected areas.

5:59 p.m. - Local officials announce curfew for local beaches. More details to be announced.

5:50 p.m. - Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales announced that commercial businesses will be covered in new mask orders along with public spaces.

The announcement comes after meeting with officials from local hospitals about hospital capacity.

5:39 p.m. - Beach access roads will be restricted to vehicles Wednesday through July 7. People can walk to city and county beaches on foot. The order, which will mimic the Easter closings order, will be signed Wednesday. Bob Hall Pier will be open, as will I.B. Magee and Padre Balli RV Parks, but once in, vehicles will not be allowed re-entry.

5:01 p.m. - Nueces Co. reported 274 new cases on Tuesday, a new single-day high. This brings the county's total to 2,394 reported cases. While 272 of those patients have recovered, eight have died. Thirty-three patients are in the ICU; most reportedly are intubated. Ninety percent of the county's cases are still active, said Corpus Christi City Manger Peter Zanoni, and hospitals and ICU beds nearly are full. Local nurses also are in short supply, and others have been requested to help.

4:30 p.m. - Public Health Preparedness Manager Clara Rieder reports 28 new cases today in San Patricio county, bringing their total to 161 with 93 active cases.

4:25 p.m. - Gregory-Portland Independent School District is reporting that a middle school student athlete tested positive for COVID-19. The student is a part of the strength and conditioning program at Gregory-Portland Middle School.

The student has not practiced with the team since last week. However, in taking extra precautions, the district canceled practices for the middle school program until Monday, July 13.

6/29 updates:
11:23 p.m. - Jim Wells County is reporting 18 new COVID-19 cases.

9:59 p.m. - Kleberg County is reporting seven new COVID-19 cases, bringing the county's total to 66. Fifty of the confirmed cases are from the month of June alone. Meanwhile, there are now 47 active cases in the county.

Kleberg County Judge Rudy Madrid also extended the county's face mask order for an additional 30 days.

Free COVID-19 testing will be available in Kingsville at the JK Northway Exposition Center on July 4, 5, and 6. Testing on July 4 will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., and on July 5 and 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

5:07 p.m. - Nueces County is reporting an eighth COVID-19 related death Monday. An additional 205 Nueces County residents have tested positive for COVID-19. Meanwhile, 11 more people are in the ICU, bringing the total to 29. Of the eight total deaths in the county, five died in the last two weeks.

Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni also mentioned drive through testing for tomorrow has been delayed because workers will be focusing on hot spots that have broken out in senior living centers. So far, 10 nursing homes reportedly have been affected.

3:22 p.m. - Aransas County is reporting an additional five residents tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the county's total to 20.

11:00 a.m. - The Duval County Judge Gilbert N. Saenz reports their total COVID-19 case count is now at 20 cases. Duval County added 15 new cases in the past week.

10:30 a.m. - According to Nueces County Assistant District Attorney Angelica Hernandez two employees tested positive for coronavirus last Wednesday. The Nueces County District Attorney's Office is now closed due to COVID-19.

10:10 a.m. - Kleberg County is reporting seven new COVID-19 positive cases this weekend. Their total case count is now up to 59 confirmed cases with 40 cases being active.

6/28 updates:
5:10 p.m. - Nueces County reports 188 additional cases Sunday. Read the full breakdown of the latest numbers here.

2 p.m. - Nueces County reports a 7th COVID-19 related death.

According to a release from the city, the man was between the ages of 70 to 79 and was hospitalized in late May. The man's comorbidities included hypertension, diabetes, and coronary artery disease.

6/27 updates:

10 p.m. - Jim Wells County received confirmation of 24 additional COVID-19 cases Saturday.

23 of the positive cases come from zip code 78332 and 1 case is from zip code 78372.

9:40 p.m. - County Judge Rudy Madrid & Mayor Sam Fugate have reported 10 additional positive COVID-19 cases. The total is now 52 with 33 active cases.

Texas DSHS, Region 11 is reporting pervasive community spread in the entire region.

9 p.m. - Several Brooks county law enforcement officers test positive for COVID-19.Read the full story here.

The total case count for the county has not been reported.

4:45 p.m. - Nueces County is reporting 228 new confirmed COVID-19 cases as of Saturday. Read the full story here.

6/26 updates:

9:36 p.m. Jim Hogg County is reporting another 3 residents have tested positive for COVID-19, bringing the county's total to 13.

9:27 p.m. An additional 15 people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Jim Wells County. One of the new cases is a male in his teens.

9:09 p.m. - Kleberg County is reporting an additional nine COVID-19 cases, bringing the total to 42 cases. 23 cases are active.

A reminder, Kleberg County and the city of Kingsville have issued mandatory face mask orders that went into affect earlier in the week.

Free COVID-19 testing is available in Robstown on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1213 Terry Shamzie Boulevard. The next round of testing in Kingsville will be July 4.

5:04 pm. - Live Oak County reported nine new COVID cases today, pushing its total of reported cases during the pandemic to 28.

4:14 p.m. Corpus Christi City Manager Peter Zanoni is reporting a total new case count of 212 for Nueces County, bringing the total of reported cases since March up to 1499. Sixty-four people are hospitalized with the virus, and 16 are in intensive care.

4:12 p.m. Jim Hogg County is reporting three new cases, bringing its total of reported cases to 12.

3:20 p.m. Nueces County officials are currently reporting 136 new cases for Friday, but said cases are still be being counted and an updated total will be released later in the day.

3:08 p.m. - San Patricio County is reporting eight confirmed COVID-19 cases, bringing its total up to 109.

2:49 p.m. - City of Corpus Christi officials announced that the storms in the area are has created intermittent phone and internet problems in the building.

1:51 p.m. - Jim Wells County has received confirmation of 10 additional COVID-19 cases.

11:30 a.m. Out of an abundance of caution, The Rockport Center for the Arts decided to cancel the Art Festival that was scheduled for the 4th of July weekend.

10:30 a.m. The Corpus Christi Regional Transportation Authority announced riders will need to use facial coverings to get on a bus.

9:00 a.m. Governor Greg Abbott announces bars must shut down and restaurants must be below their 50% capacity. Abbott also states rafting and tubing businesses must close. Outdoor gatherings of 100 or more people must be approved by local governments, with certain exceptions.

7:00 a.m. Duval County is reporting a new COVID-19 case. That brings their total to eight confirmed cases.

6/25 updates:
5:32 p.m. Nueces County reported a one-day record of 259 cases of COVID-19 on Thursday afternoon.

41 people are currently in the hospital, while 16 of those are in the ICU. 243 people have fully recovered.

4:51 p.m. Bee County is reporting one additional COVID-19 case, bringing the total number of cases to 37.

4:36 p.m. Two additional Del Mar College students have tested positive for COVID-19, and are now self-isolating. The students are in different degree programs, and after testing positive, nine additional students and three faculty members who were in close contact with them are also self-isolating.

The areas of the West Campus where these students were have since been disinfected.

4:06 p.m. - Jim Hogg Co. is reporting an additional case, bringing its total reported case count to 10.

3:41 p.m. San Patricio County is reporting 6 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 today, bringing the cumulative total to 101. 57 people have recovered.

6/24 updates:
10:49 p.m. Jim Wells Co. has six new confirmed cases Wednesday.

8:49 p.m. Kleberg County is reporting one additional positive COVID-19 case, which its the first case involving a child. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in the county to 33. Fourteen of those are active cases.

Free COVID-19 testing is available on Thursday in Banquete from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 5436 Bulldog Lane. Appointments are not necessary, but keep in mind there is a high demand for tests.

6:24 p.m. - Del Mar College reports that one of its students has tested positive. Fifteen additional students and two employees have been asked to self-isolate, along with the original patient.

5 p.m - Nueces County reported a one-day record 215 COVID cases on Wednesday, pushing the overall total of local COVID cases so far to 1,028. Forty-one patients are hospitalized with the virus, and 16 of those cases are in ICU.

4:17 p.m. Refugio Co. is reporting three new confirmed cases. The total reported number of cases is nine.

3 p.m. - San Patricio County's Public Health Preparedness Manager, Clara Rieder, reports 11 new COVID-19 cases in the county, three of which are county employees.

The County says they have taken the necessary steps to appropriately clean and sanitize affected areas.

This raises the total case count to 96, with 47 active cases and the immediate risk of transmission in the county has changed from minimal up to low, and 841 tests have been completed in the county.

8:15 a.m. - The Duval County Judge is declaring another positive COVID-19 case. That would increase the positive case number to 9 in Duval County.

6/23 updates:
10:32 p.m. - Jim Wells Co. reported four (4) new cases Tuesday. Its total number is now 50.

6:52 p.m. - Nueces County is reporting 71 new cases today. 26 are currently hospitalized and 13 in the ICU. We remain at six deaths. There have been 5 additional recoveries for a total of 243 in the county.

5:13 p.m. - Duval Co. is reporting one (1) new case of COVID-19. It now has a total of six (6) reported cases, with one (1) still active.

5 p.m. - Texas Governor Greg Abbott has expanded the ability of mayors and county judges toimpose restrictions on outdoor gatherings of over 100 people. Before the update, this applied only to outdoor gatherings of over 500 people.

4:53 p.m. - Nueces Co. - Corpus Christi Public Health District Health Director Annette Rodriguez tells KRIS 6 News 803 people registered to undergo drive-through COVID-19 testing; 537 people kept their appointments, making it the largest drive-through testing event the county has held. She said that, on average, 30 percent of the people being tested have positive results.

4:37 p.m. - CCISD is reporting three employees have tested positive for COVID-19. The district has since notified other employees who they may have come into contact with. The district cannot release information on what campuses or buildings the employees worked. A total of five CCISD employees have tested positive for COVID-19 since March.

2:36 p.m. - Kleberg announced it has three new COVID-19 cases, bring it's total to 32 reported cases. Thirteen of those cases are considered active.

2:21 p.m. - San Patricio Co. is reporting five (5) new confirmed cases Tuesday, which brings its total case count to 85. Forty-nine of those patients have recovered.

6/22 updates:
4:54 p.m. - The Corpus Christi-Nueces County health district is reporting 109 new COVID-19 cases. That number brings the total to 742 cases, with 238 recovered.

6/22 updates:

4:54 p.m. - The Corpus Christi-Nueces County health district is reporting 109 new COVID-19 cases. That number brings the total to 742 cases, with 238 recovered.

4:54 p.m. - Del Mar College received information over the weekend that three students have tested positive for COVID-19. The three students are in different degree programs and the cases are not related. All three students were immediately instructed to self-isolate. As a result of the positive cases, 35 additional students and eight employees who were in close-contact with the individuals have been asked to self-isolate.

The areas on West Campus where the exposures occurred have been disinfected. Those who were identified as being exposed to the virus (per Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines) while on DMC property have been personally notified by a DMC representative.

The health and safety of our students and employees remain our top priority at Del Mar College. All College facilities remain closed to the public. Only restricted access for approved employees and designated students is allowed at this time.

4:28 p.m. -Due to increasing cases of coronavirus cases, the Padre Island National Seashore is pausing some phased reopening plans.

4:14 p.m. - An employee who works for the Port of Corpus Christi tested positive for COVID-19 and is now self-isolating at home. The employee works in an office where there is minimal interaction with other employees. That area has now been restricted until it can be fully sanitized.

3:42 p.m. - San Patricio Co. is reporting 14 new cases on Monday. The county has had a total of 80 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 46 of those patients have recovered. Brooks C

12:32 p.m. - Alice ISD has suspended its strength and conditioning workouts until further notice. Representatives say they are doing this in the abundance of precautionary measures to prevent any spread of COVID-19.

10 a.m. - Kleberg County received confirmation of two additional COVID-19 caseson Monday, pushing the total to 29 for the county during the pandemic. County officials will announce an order later today requiring businesses to require masks for employees and customers.

12:30 a.m. - Jim Hogg County received confirmation of five additional COVID-19 cases this weekend. The cases push the total to 9 for that county. Their emergency management team decided to begin a curfew for the next 14 days. The curfew will be Sunday through Thursday at 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. and Friday and Saturday it will be from 12 a.m. to 5 a.m.

6/21 updates:

6:54 p.m. - Jim Wells County received confirmation of seven (7) additional COVID-19 cases on Sunday. Read the full story here.

4:25 p.m. - Nueces County reports 36 new cases.

According to officials, 17 of those cases are currently hospitalized with 4 in the intensive care unit.

Out of 633 total positive coronavirus cases in the county, 238 have recovered and 6 have died.

14,501 tests have been conducted in the county so far.

2 p.m. A second Corpus Christi Independent School District employee has tested positive for COVID-19.

The district says it was told late Saturday afternoon of the tests results and immediately notified those who could have been exposed.

Find the previous week's local COVID-19 LIVE BLOGright here.