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Coronavirus community spread suspected in Brazoria County; patients attended Houston Rodeo

The individuals, who reside in the same household in Alvin, self-reported after going to the Houston Rodeo cook-off and livestock show and have not traveled outside the Houston area.

by Raga Justin

The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was shut down after concerns of the spread of the coronavirus in Houston
The Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo was shut down after concerns of the spread of the coronavirus in Houston. Credit: Katie Haugland Bowen/Flickr

Brazoria County is reporting its first two cases of the new coronavirus in what is possibly the third instance of community spread in the state.

The individuals, who reside in the same household in Alvin, self-reported after attending the Houston Rodeo cook-off and livestock show and have not traveled outside the Houston area. Lanny Brown, manager of Brazoria’s Public Health Emergency Preparedness, said officials could not confirm when the individuals attended those events but that testing happened Thursday.

The individuals are in their mid-30s to mid-40s. Brown said he could not confirm their family status. They are both being quarantined at home and were not hospitalized.

The absence of travel suggests community spread, but official confirmation is pending investigation. Both Dallas and Montgomery counties reported community spread earlier this week.

As of Saturday afternoon, Texas had 62 known cases of COVID-19 — 11 cases stemming from people who were abroad and forced into a federal quarantine site in San Antonio's Lackland Air Force Base.

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Raga Justin’s staff photo