COVID-19 Public Information

Know your risk level

• Some people, including adults age 85 or older, pregnant women, and people with severe underlying conditions may be at a higher risk of COVID-19 complications than others. Learn more here.

Wash your hands often

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds especially after you have been in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing.
• It’s especially important to wash:
  • Before eating or preparing food
  • Before touching your face
  • After using the restroom
  • After leaving a public place
  • After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
  • After handling your cloth face covering
  • After changing a diaper
  • After caring for someone sick
  • After touching animals or pets
• If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol. Cover all surfaces of your hands and rub them together until they feel dry.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.

Avoid close contact

• Inside your home: Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
  • If possible, maintain 6 feet between the person who is sick and other household members.
• Outside your home: Put 6 feet of distance between yourself and people who don’t live in your household.
  • Remember that some people without symptoms may be able to spread virus.
  • Stay at least 6 feet (about 2 arms’ length) from other people.
  • Keeping distance from others is especially important for people who are at higher risk of getting very sick.

Cover your mouth and nose with a cloth face cover when around others

• You could spread COVID-19 to others even if you do not feel sick.
• The cloth face cover is meant to protect other people in case you are infected.
• Everyone should wear a cloth face cover in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.
  • Cloth face coverings should not be placed on young children under age 2, anyone who has trouble breathing, or is unconscious, incapacitated or otherwise unable to remove the mask without assistance.
• Do NOT use a facemask meant for a healthcare worker. Currently, surgical masks and N95 respirators are critical supplies that should be reserved for healthcare workers and other first responders.
• Continue to keep about 6 feet between yourself and others. The cloth face cover is not a substitute for social distancing.

Clean and disinfect

• Clean AND disinfect frequently touched surfaces daily. This includes tables, doorknobs, light switches, countertops, handles, desks, phones, keyboards, toilets, faucets, and sinks.
• If surfaces are dirty, clean them. Use detergent or soap and water prior to disinfection.
• Then, use a household disinfectant. Most common EPA-registered household disinfectants will work.

Monitor Your Health Daily

• Be alert for symptoms. Watch for fever, cough, shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19.
  • Especially important if you are running essential errands, going into the office or workplace, and in settings where it may be difficult to keep a physical distance of 6 feet.
• Take your temperature if symptoms develop.
  • Don’t take your temperature within 30 minutes of exercising or after taking medications that could lower your temperature, like acetaminophen.
• Follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.

People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:

3. Your medical provider may choose to order a respiratory panel or other lab tests to determine if other respiratory illnesses, such as the flu, are present.

4. Your medical provider will determine if you should be tested for COVID-19, and will use State-recommended criteria for making that determination. Test results are usually available within 48-72 hours, though the results may take longer to be returned when a large number of patients are seeking testing at the same time.

5. If your test result is positive, meaning you do have COVID-19, a State epidemiologist may contact you and begin an investigation to address multiple points of concern. This may include reaching out to your family, friends, and coworkers, along with other members of the community if appropriate.

Yes. All patients with physician-verified symptoms, all patients meeting criteria to be admitted to the hospital for care, and all patients scheduled for an inpatient or outpatient procedure at the hospital will be tested for COVID-19.

See the next tab below to learn how to get your test results.

The fastest way to receive your COVID-19 test result is to contact your medical provider or log on to your MRMC patient portal. Your medical provider will generally have your COVID-19 test results within 48-72 hours.

If your employer ordered your COVID-19 test, please call your Human Resources or Employee Safety department for results. Your employer will generally have your COVID-19 test results within 48-72 hours.

The slowest way to receive your COVID-19 test result is to call the hospital laboratory. This method is not recommended because the hospital lab:

1. Is not structured to handle a high volume of calls from the general public.
2. Is inundated with additional volume during the COVID-19 pandemic.
3. Is bound by strict HIPAA and disclosure policies that must be followed.
4. Has been directed to prioritize the support of internal hospital services.

Click here to access your MRMC Patient Portal. If you need technical assistance accessing your portal, call (979) 241-5545.

Yes. Anyone may choose to seek testing through another provider in Matagorda County such as the Matagorda Medical Group (MMG), MEHOP, PCMC, or any number of local physicians who offer COVID-19 testing services. In addition, you may consider one of Texas’ many COVID-19 Test Collection Sites or visit another regional facility for testing. As always, you are advised to call ahead to confirm that testing will be available to you, as many healthcare facilities across Texas are struggling to manage resources or may require a tele-health visit or screening or in-person visit or screening before testing is ordered.

CDC: Coronavirus (COVID-19) main page

CDC: How to protect yourself

CDC: If you think you are sick

Texas Department of State Health Services’ COVID-19 main page

Texas Department of State Health Services’ COVID-19 Texas case counts by County

Texas Council for Developmental Disabilities COVID-19 Page

Johns Hopkins’ COVID-19 map

Matagorda County main page

City of Bay City main page

City of Palacios main page

March 12, 2021: MRMC has closed the vaccine wait list to new registrants and will conduct all future public COVID-19 vaccine clinics on a first-come, first-served basis.

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March 3, 2021: MRMC will continue requiring health screens and face masks in order to enter Hospital District owned or operated facilities even after Gov. Abbott’s Executive Order GA-34 is in effect. https://www.matagordaregional.org/ga34

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January 2021: MRMC’s COVID-19 Wait List can be found here (NOW CLOSED). First come, first served after Phase 1A and 1B patient prioritization requirements are met, so sign up today.

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December 3, 2020: The third wave of COVID-19 has begun in Matagorda County. Click here to watch the video message or here to view the transcript and access language assistance.

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September 17, 2020: Governor Abbott has issued two Executive Orders to reopen certain venues to 75% capacity and allow for the resumption of elective surgeries. To qualify, counties must be in a Trauma Service Area (TSA) where the number of COVID‑19 hospitalized patients as a percentage of all hospitalized patients has been 15% or less for seven consecutive days. Matagorda County is located in Trauma Service Area Q (TSA-Q). DSHS maintains a list of counties that are NOT authorized to reopen. The list can be found here and is updated daily.

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September 9, 2020: On Monday, September 14th, we will begin using a direct link to the DSHS dashboard for daily numbers. The daily numbers table will no longer be updated and will be removed.

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The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) has made several changes in the way COVID-19 data are verified and reported, resulting in “fatality demographic data, the fatality trend, fatalities by county, number recovered and number of active cases [being] impacted by the transition” according to a DSHS statement provided to Matagorda County Officials on Monday. Read more here.

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July 22, 2020: A second video update on the COVID-19 public reporting structure has been produced. Click here to watch the video.

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July 20, 2020: The Matagorda County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) now produces a weekly COVID-19 report. The report is published every Monday by 8pm. The latest report is linked from the COVID-19 case table at the top of this page under the section “View Report (G).”

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July 18, 2020: As a reminder, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) is not recommending COVID-19 testing be required before returning to work. They also recommend that mildly ill individuals who have symptoms of COVID-19, like fever or cough, self-manage their symptoms at home. Here is a link to the DSHS letter to employers in both English and Spanish: https://www.matagordaregional.org/dshs-letter-to-texas-employers-english-spanish/

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July 13, 2020: Effective immediately, the way Matagorda County publicly reports COVID-19 information will change. We will now use Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) numbers as the sole source for public reporting. If you’d like to know why this decision was made and why the new numbers will initially be lower, check out this video. https://youtu.be/PRXMxCMZqgE

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July 1, 2020: A community update video was produced detailing the hospital’s current status and reminding everyone to embrace safe practices as we move into the July 4^th holiday. Link to the transcript and the video here.

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June 22, 2020: Joint Statement on the COVID-19 Status in Matagorda County.

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May 8, 2020: The following public message was released by Dr. Fabricio Zuniga on behalf of the Matagorda County Hospital District and the Matagorda Regional Medical Center COVID-19 Taskforce.

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May 7, 2020: Matagorda County Hospital District Officials have just received confirmation that a man between the ages of 90 and 100 passed away with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. The patient’s COVID-19 status was confirmed in an outpatient setting prior to being admitted to the Matagorda Regional Medical Center for care. The man was later transferred to a healthcare facility in Victoria where he passed away. This is the fifth confirmed COVID-19 related death of a Matagorda County resident. Our prayers go out to his family and loved ones, and to all of our community members who are mourning his passing.

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May 7, 2020: We are saddened to announce that a woman between the ages of 75 and 85 passed away at Matagorda Regional Medical Center with symptoms consistent with COVID-19. This is the fourth confirmed COVID-19 related death of a Matagorda County resident.

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April 28, 2020 Press Release: “Matagorda County Hospital District (MCHD) Administrative and Medical Officials Meet with State, County, and City Leaders To Discuss Options for “Return to Normal” Operational Status.”

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April 25, 2020: The typical wait time for COVID-19 test results listed on this page was shortened to “2 to 4 days.”

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April 23, 2020: The format of Tables 1 and 2 at the top of this page will change on Monday, April 27th, in order to simplify and clarify reporting in the wake of Matagorda County’s mobile test collection initiative. Beginning April 27th, all 1) total cases, 2) recovered cases, 3) deceased, and 4) active cases will be reported cumulatively by category. If you need the information in the above tables as-is, you should copy it and save it to a personal file before 5:00am on April 27th.

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April 22, 2020: Matagorda County will be hosting a free coronavirus (COVID-19) mobile test collection site for anyone experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. Appointments are required, and protocol must be followed in order for community members to be screened, tested, and receive their coronavirus (COVID-19) test results. UPDATE: During this testing event, 67 people were tested and 0 were turned away. We expect initial drive-up test results to be available as early as Tuesday, April 28th, with all results being reported by Friday, May 1st. These numbers will be combined and included in daily totals just like all test site information in Matagorda County is combined and reported.

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April 7, 2020 at 2:11pm: The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) serves as the health department for Matagorda County. We are working with DSHS for an initial COVID-19 recovery report, and we hope to be able to deliver that report soon. The moment we have verified recovery information, we will post it on the COVID-19 Public Information Page at https://www.matagordaregional.org/covid19

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April 5, 2020. A COVID-19 community update video was posted. Click here to view the transcript and link to the video update.

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March 30, 2020 at 9:34am. Due to a growing case load, multiple testing sites, and the complexities of pending epidemiological investigations, negative and pending COVID-19 test information will no longer be reported daily on this website. All positive case information is listed in the table above. Periodic updates on negative and pending test counts will be provided through hospital and county official public releases when available.

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March 30, 2020 at 8:27am. Due to a growing case load and the complexities of pending epidemiological investigations, the COVID-19 data presented on this page will be updated by 1:00pm daily.

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On March 28, 2020 at 7:19pm, the following COVID-19 positive patient demographic was removed from the table above after the information was reported in both Matagorda and Wharton counties. After further investigation, it was determined that the following COVID-19 case should be counted and managed by Wharton County: 3/27/2020; F; 50-55; HOM; NO.

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As of March 27, 2020, MCHD no longer issues press releases regarding individual positive COVID-19 cases. All known COVID-19 case information is listed in the table at the top of this page.

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Effective March 27th at 7:00am, MRMC’s visitation policy will change again. No visitors will be allowed outside of labor coaches, pediatric caregivers, and those dealing with end-of-life situations. In those cases, only one visitor will be allowed for the safety of our patients, visitors, and staff. Visitors must be 18+ and will be screened at the door for symptoms related to COVID-19.

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This is a courtesy notice to all Matagorda County residents. As of March 10, 2020, at 11:00am, we are expecting the results of over 40 COVID-19 tests to be returned to our health professionals throughout the County over the next several days. As more residents meet State criteria for testing, the results are taking longer to be verified. At this time, some results are taking up to 12 days to be verified and reported. It is important to note that a delay in test results does not change the outcome. All patients meeting State requirements for testing are directed to self-quarantine at home immediately regardless of when the test result is expected.

We would like to take this opportunity to inform our citizens that the high number of pending test results may soon give the appearance of an unexpected “spike,” or an unexplainable increase in positive cases. This is not true. When we have a large number of tests pending results, we fully expect and are prepared to deal with a large number of both positive and negative test results.

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Effective immediately, MRMC’s Weekend Urgent Care will temporarily close in order to increase Emergency Room capabilities.

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Eight temporary changes for Matagorda Regional Medical Center

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Matagorda County Hospital District Statement on the term “Presumptive” in the statement “Presumptive Positive Coronavirus (COVID-19) Case.”

 

Questions or comments about the data found by following links posted on this page should be directed to DSHS by email at pressofficer@dshs.texas.gov. Questions or comments about the interpretation of the data presented on this page should be sent to the Matagorda County Emergency Operations Center by email at covid19@co.matagorda.tx.us.

Hospital District Officials will not respond to inquiries regarding patient-specific or case-specific information, and will not speculate on or project COVID-19 data.