Arlington senior citizen becomes first coronavirus-related death in North Texas

Fox 4 KDFW ^ | Published 2 days ago Updated 1 day ago | Dionne Anglin

[Zhang Fei]

ARLINGTON, Texas - A senior citizen in Arlington has become the first North Texas death related to the COVID-19 coronavirus.

Tarrant County Public Health confirmed late Tuesday that the man who died on Sunday tested positive for the new coronavirus. He was a resident of the Texas Masonic Retirement Center in Arlington.

The department released info about where the man lived because the facility provides housing to retired persons and senior citizens, people who are most vulnerable to the virus. They're also still not sure how he became infected.

Family members identified him as 77-year-old Pat James. He died Sunday after developing pneumonia from what they thought was the flu. They did not know he had the new coronavirus until test results came back positive on Tuesday.

James' wife has been experiencing the same symptoms and is currently in isolation.

Tarrant County health officials said they are still trying to identify all of the people the man came in contact with so those people can be isolated and monitored. They are working closely with Texas Masonic Retirement Center, which is now closed to all visitors except in extraordinary circumstances.

The briefing was alongside Arlington and Tarrant County leaders on the heels of James’ death, the county’s first COVID-19 death. James and his wife lived in a private cottage style unit at the home, but they used public areas like the dining hall. A full tracking of people James had contact with is underway.

“This gentleman had no known travel or contact with any other COVID 19 patient. He represented the second localized spread case of COVID 19 in Tarrant County,” said Tarrant County Judge Glen Whitley. “We currently have 9 positive cases. Two or maybe three, we’re still trying to determine on one of them whether it may have been

[Zhang Fei]

Hard to find race/ethnicity information on coronavirus deaths, so this article, with a name attached, is a breath of fresh air. Unfortunately, his wife appears to be showing symptoms:

[norcal joe]

Why would post this article? And why would you say the article is “a breath of fresh air?” (I know, you are glad for some reason they are printing a name, but saying it’s a breath of fresh air is really inappropriate.)

[CatOwner]

The article itself seems okay to post. The main comment, however, appears to border on the morbid.

[Zhang Fei]

[The main comment, however, appears to border on the morbid.]

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Statistical rather than morbid. The demographic data embargo by the CDC means grasping at anecdotes.

[kalee]

Ping

[bgill]

TX Gov. Abbot has recently banned visitors to nursing homes.