By Vanessa Garcia | April 22, 2020 at 11: 58 AM CDT – Updated April 22 at 2: 24 PM
AMARILLO, Texas (KFDA) – City leaders confirmed more than 300 COVID-19 cases in the Amarillo area and voiced concerns of hot spots in the Texas Panhandle.
During a Wednesday morning news conference, Public Health Authority Dr. Scott Milton confirmed 20 new cases of the coronavirus in Potter and Randall counties, bringing the total to 311.
As of April 21, Moore County confirmed 139 residents tested positive for COVID-19.
At the Clements Unit, nine employees and four offenders tested positive for COVID-19.
Mayor Ginger Nelson said these hot spots will be tied to where patients are being received, which includes Amarillo hospitals.
Health officials also released information on cases at Amarillo hospitals, stressing that they are seeing an increase in patients.
Dr. Weis said out of the 506 patients who tested for the virus at NWTHS, 90 have tested positive.
There are 64 patients in the hospital related to the virus, which includes 46 under investigation and 18 positive cases at the hospital.
Out of those who are at the hospital with COVID-19, about half are on ventilators.
BSA Health System Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Lamanteer said the number of cases are rapidly changing by the hour with more patients coming in more.
BSA has 34 patients in the hospital related to the virus, which includes 18 who tested positive and 16 patients who are under investigation.
Out of those who tested positive, seven are in the ICU and five are on ventilators.
Four patients who are under investigation are also in the ICU on ventilators.
Dr. Lamanteer said they are seeing an uptick in COVID-19 related cases just within the past several days.
Froylan Garza with the Amarillo VA Health System said the VA has one positive case and nursing home residents and staff are being screened with test results coming back within 45 minutes.
Here are other details released during the news conference:
- Northwest is not ready to begin elective surgeries.
- BSA can also do in-house testing with test results coming back between 45 to 60 minutes.
- Dr. Weis said there is a concern of the increase use of critical care capacity because some individuals who are coming in are very sick.
- Health officials are encouraging individuals to donate plasma in order to treat patients with the virus.
- Wearings masks is a strong suggestion and not an order in the City of Amarillo.
- The City of Amarillo has a midnight curfew for teenagers.
- Dr. Milton said the virus is more likely to spread indoors than compared to outdoors.
- Mayor Nelson said the city council is continuing to lead round tables with work industries to come up with how to reopen the city. A special city council meeting will be held at 1: 00 p.m. on Friday with more details.
- City leaders do a contact investigation and determine who at nursing homes would be an increased risk and then will test them.
- There is an increase in thefts in Amarillo.
- Health officials are not concerned of having a lack of hospital staff, but things are changing rapidly.
There are now 560 COVID-19 cases in the Texas Panhandle:
- Armstrong County: 1
- Carson County: 1
- Castro County: 11
- Childress County: 1
- Dallam County: 3
- Deaf Smith County: 14
- Donley County: 24
- Gray County: 22
- Hansford County: 1
- Hartley County: 1
- Hemphill County: 1
- Hutchinson County: 9
- Moore County: 139
- Oldham County: 3
- Parmer County: 2
- Potter County and Randall County: 311
- Roberts County: 1
- Sherman County: 10
- Swisher County: 5
- Dallam County: 1
- Deaf Smith County: 2
- Donley County: 13
- Gray County: 9
- Hansford County: 1
- Hutchinson County: 1
- Moore County: 27
- Potter County: 30
- Randall County: 30
- Swisher County: 1
There have also been 11 deaths in the Texas Panhandle:
There are 13 cases Eastern New Mexico:
- Curry County: 10
- Roosevelt County: 1
- Quay County: 2
There are now 28 confirmed cases in the Oklahoma Panhandle:
- Beaver County: 2
- Cimarron County: 1
- Texas County: 25
There has been one death in the Oklahoma Panhandle:
These cities and counties that are under stay-at-home directives:
- Potter County
- Deaf Smith County
- Gray County
- City of Amarillo
- City of Canyon
- Randall County
- City of Pampa
- City of Lefors
- City of Hereford
- Hansford County
- City of Gruver
- City of Spearman
- City of McLean
- Castro County
- Donley County
- Wheeler County
- Swisher County
- City of Perryton
- Ochiltree County
- City of Tulia
- Armstrong County
- City of Claude
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