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Frisco Family Members Test Positive For Coronavirus, Officials Say

Coronavirus under microscope
National Institutes of Health
/
Via Associated Press
This undated electron microscope image made available by the U.S. National Institutes of Health in February 2020 shows the Novel Coronavirus.

Collin County officials have confirmed two additional cases of coronavirus. They are family members of the Frisco man identified Monday as a “presumptive positive” case. 

The man, in his mid 30s, had recently traveled to California. He was identified Monday as the first “presumptive positive” case of COVID-19 in North Texas. Tuesday, officials in Dallas county reported one  "presumptive positive" case, and officials in Gregg County in East Texas reported one confirmed positive COVID-19 case.

Collin County health officials confirmed Tuesday that Frisco man's wife and three-year-old child have also tested positive for the virus.  

County Judge Chris Hill released a statement Tuesday confirming the two additional cases. It said health officials tested all six members of the Frisco man's family and a close family contact Monday afternoon after the man first reported experiencing symptoms.

"He and his family have willingly followed along with all of the guidelines from Collin County Health Care Services,” Hill told reporters Monday. 

One child who was tested had an inconclusive result and will be retested, according to the statement. All the others tested were negative. 

The man is believed to have been exposed to the virus on a business trip to Silicon Valley. Hill's statement said the man didn't have any symptoms while traveling, so health officials say he did not pose a risk to other travelers on the same plane. Health officials also said the children in the family weren't contagious while attending school, according to the statement.

CCHCS is identifying any contacts who may have been exposed to the virus. 

Frisco ISD said Monday it's been told that a parent of a student at Tadlock Elementary has tested positive for COVID-19. Students and staff are on spring break this week. The district said it’s workingwith county health officials regarding “additional steps to help contain further exposure to our community for when our students return to school from spring break.”

Collin County health officials reported that the immediate risk of transmission in Collin County is low. 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports illnesses have ranged from mild to severe symptoms for COVID-19 cases. Symptoms like fever, cough and/or shortness of breath can appear two to 14 days after exposure. 

What's Been Happening Around Texas

Dallas County Health and Human Services reported the first presumptive positive caseof COVID-19 in the county Tuesday afternoon. In a statement, officials said the individual is a 77-year-old out-of-state traveler and is being treated at a local hospital in isolation.

The statement said Dallas County officials were waiting for the positive test result to be confirmed by the CDC and had notified anyone who had been in close contact with the individual who tested positive.  

Tarrant County also reported its first case Tuesday. The person who is presumed to have COVID-19 is a resident who attended a conference in Kentucky in late February, officials said.

Officials in East Texas have confirmed a positive case of COVID-19 in Gregg County. The North East Texas Public Health District released a statement Tuesday saying the positive result was confirmed by the CDC and the person is believed to have been exposed to the virus through travel inside the U.S. 

The person had mild symptoms and is in isolation at home, according to the statement. 

Roughly 100 passengers are being evacuated to Lackland Air Force Basein San Antonio from the Grand Princess — a cruise ship docked off the California coast where roughly 20 people were infected with the coronavirus. 

In Texas, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said he is more confident in the protocols adopted by health officials this time. Last week, health officials were heavily criticized after one evacuee was released into the city, only to be diagnosed later. 

“They will stay on the base and not be transported around the city of San Antonio,” Wolff said. “So I personally feel a lot more confident about it. As long as all these things get done, as they say they will do.” 

In the Houston area, the 12 presumptive positive cases of coronavirus are all travel-related. All who are presumed to have the virus were passengers on the same Nile cruise line in Egypt. 

The technology, music and film festival South By Southwest in Austin has been canceled because of concerns about the coronavirus. 

“’The show must go on’ is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place,” SXSW organizers said in a statement.

Gov. Gregg Abbott and the Texas Department of Insurance announced Monday that they've asked health insurance companies to waive the cost of coronavirus testing and virtual office visits for patients.

"We must ensure no Texan is denied access to testing resources relating to coronavirus," Abbott said in a statement. "Texans who are concerned that they may have coronavirus should seek medical attention in the most appropriate setting."

As of Tuesday morning, the U.S. has more than 700 cases of coronavirus in 36 states and Washington, DC. At least 26 people have died from the virus.

KERA's Syeda Hasan and TPR's Carson Frame contributed to this report.

This is a developing story.

Elizabeth Myong is KERA’s Arts Collaborative Reporter. She came to KERA from New York, where she worked as a CNBC fellow covering breaking news and politics. Before that, she freelanced as a features reporter for the Houston Chronicle and a modern arts reporter for Houstonia Magazine.