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Community cases rise, school down

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Albany News

By Melinda L. Lucas

With 10 positive COVID tests reported by the Shackelford County Health Clinic during the first two days of this week and more symtomatic patients on site at press time Wednesday morning, Albany and Moran seem to be mirroring the national surge of coronavirus cases.

Jera Fairley at the clinic said that 15 rapid  tests were administered Monday, Nov. 30, with eight positive, while of the nine tests given to local patients on Tuesday, two were positive.

The local clinic has had its molecular testing equipment in place since Nov. 2. Over the past month, 112 tests have been given. Of those, 77 have been negative and 35 positive.

“We are only testing symptomatic patients,” said Fairley at 8:15 a.m. Wednesday, adding that staff members were already busy that morning evaluating several patients.

Several local residents have been hospitalized recently with more serious COVID symptoms.

As a “precautionary decision,” the students and staff of Moran ISD have not returned to class from the holiday break because several faculty members are finishing their quarantine time after testing positive.

At Albany ISD, only one case was active on Wednesday morning – an elementary staff member. However, five NSES students, 17 secondary students, and two secondary staff members are quarantined due to close contact outside of school.

“Our number of positive cases has declined since going on Thanksgiving break,” said superintendent Jonathan Scott. “We understand the possibility of new cases developing over the next few days due to contact over the Thanksgiving holiday, and we will continue monitoring and taking needed precautions.”

Albany mayor Susan Montgomery, who tested positive herself last week and is in quarantine at her home, urges residents to be as careful and considerate as they possibly can.

The latest numbers from Department of State Health Services show only nine new cases since the last report Nov. 25, as well as 10 additional cases that had reached the end of isolation requirements. Only six active cases were on the official list.

“The day-to-day active numbers are not real time numbers; that is clear,” said  Shackelford County judge Robert Skelton. “But the trends seem to follow somewhat closely over the same period what the clinic is reporting.”