Ellis County changes COVID-19 data reporting

WAXAHACHIE – Last week, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) changed the system for reporting COVID-19 cases in Ellis County.

Texas DSHS notified Ellis County of the change in the reporting structure within DSHS Public Health Regions stating, “due to the increasingly high volume of cases in the region and the transition to a statewide system for contact investigation and contact tracing through the Texas Health Trace (THT) web-based platform, DSHS will no longer be providing the daily COVID-19 case line lists outlining cases within 49 counties across the region.”

What this means is for those residents actively monitoring COVID-19 within Ellis County, the Office of Emergency Management will no longer be able to provide breakdowns of COVID-19 cases by age, gender, and jurisdiction due to this change.

“By including the probable the way, the numbers are being reported now they have made the data from earlier testing less useful for comparison,” said Ellis County Commissioner Paul Perry, pct. 3. 

“Some of what qualifies for probable does not even mean symptoms of the disease.”

Texas Department of State Health Services suggests those interested in the ongoing cases use the COVID-19 Texas Data Dashboard (https://txdshs.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/ed483ecd702b4298ab01e8b9cafc8b83) which includes cases over time by county and cumulative tests over time by county for future updates, or their interactive map. 

  “We understand this dashboard can be confusing to navigate through,” a press release put out by the Ellis County office of Emergency Management said. 

“Patients with COVID-19 have been found to lack symptoms (“asymptomatic”). 

“This means the virus can spread between people interacting in proximity – for example, speaking, coughing, or sneezing – even if those people are not exhibiting symptoms. 

“With a case increase like we have seen today, it is imperative residents are aware of the existence of COVID-19 within Ellis County.”

Perry continued, “People are feeling fatigued and worried” and he recommends continued safety vigilance by using a commonsense approach to health and safety while taking proper precautions.”

The Ellis County Office of Emergency Management also suggests residents continue to wear masks while in public, wash hands frequently, avoid touching your face and practice physical distancing.