San Antonio Police Department has Another Infected Officer



San Antonio Police Department
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Second San Antonio Police Officer Tests Positive

Just two days ago the San Antonio Police Department reported that one of their officers had tested positive for COVID-19. Today they announced their second positive case. The first officer worked traffic. The second officer is a detective. According to the KSAT 12 article, the detective is recovering at home. That sounds as if he is one of the fortunate ones that is being affected minimally by this disease. But that doesn’t mean that people he came into contact with will react the same. The Metro Health Department is trying to trace everyone the detective came into contact with to inform them they have been exposed so they can take precautionary measures.

PUBLIC SAFETY

Latest San Antonio & Texas Information

To date, Bexar County has 229 confirmed case of the coronavirus, and 9 deaths. 12 people in a nursing home on the south side were discovered to be positive for the virus. Those 12 people included six staff members and six residents. Testing continues to be a problem across Texas. For example, California has a population of 39.5 million. They have tested 87,692 people with 54,400 tests pending. New York state has a population of 19.5 million. They have tested 205,186 people. Florida, who has been a total disaster in how they have handled the pandemic, has a population of 21.5 million, and they have tested 64,646 people. Texas, with a population of 29 million, has only tested 47,857.

Governmental Failures

We are not getting the help we need. CNN posted an article saying that the Pentagon offered 2000 ventilators to the Health and Human Services Department (HHS) but so far,  HHS has not taken them up on their offer. And the Department of Defense (DOD) said they have 16 labs that can be used to process COVID-19 tests. Again, nothing has been done to make use of those facilities.

The current administration asked Thailand for help, asked them to send medical supplies, only to find out that we have been sending our much needed supplies to them! Per Politico.com,

“Last week, a Trump administration official working to secure much-needed protective gear for doctors and nurses in the United States had a startling encounter with counterparts in Thailand.

The official asked the Thais for help—only to be informed by the puzzled voices on the other side of the line that a U.S. shipment of the same supplies, the second of two so far, was already on its way to Bangkok.”

What this Means for Us

As you can see, the government, whether it’s the local, state, or federal level, is not going to save us. It’s imperative that we take steps to protect ourselves. You don’t need to wait for your local or state authority to tell you to stay at home before you do it. You don’t need to wait for any governmental agency to tell you to wear a mask, just do it. Don’t get the N95 masks. Leave those for the medical personnel, first responders, garbage collectors (Yes, they need them too. They come in contact with contaminated items), and others who have a valid need.

For the rest of us, even a homemade mask will be beneficial. There are patterns on the internet. Or even a handkerchief worn like old time bandits. These masks aren’t as good as what the professionals need but if we all wear them they will help to keep us from breathing on other people and keep those people from breathing on us. That will help to slow down the spread of the virus and will help to flatten the curve.

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