DESPITE ONE COVID (+) CASE, SUMMER SCHOOL ON AT YTURRIA, BISD

 Special to El Rrun-Rrun

The rumor mill has been busy these days over at the Brownsville Independent School District.

The latest is that an "outbreak" of positive COVID-19 positive cases at the Yturria Elementary School has shut done summer school. Sorry kids, according to BISD Board President Eddie Garcia, there was but one student testing positive for the virus and said that the district is not shutting down summer school and continues to follow Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and protocols like requiring face masks, temperature monitors, keeping a social distance and frequent washing of hands.

"We are not in a shutdown," Garcia said. "We still don't have CDC guidelines for vaccines for children under 12 years of age but we are projecting having vaccination clinics for all other students for fall classes."

"Unfortunately, we do expect some positive cases because the kids under 12 cannot be vaccinated," he said. "But right now we have the Texas State Guard offering vaccine clinics and we are projecting having ours set up when they leave."

Operation Lone Star (OLS) will offer free health clinics during July 26 thru July 30, 2021 as an extension of a disaster preparedness exercise of the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS). 

Services will include medical exams, health and diabetic screenings, immunizations for children and adults, sports physicals for students, dental services and vision exams for prescription glasses for adults and children, and some veterinary services in Willacy County. 

In 2019 Operation Lone Star provided 36,903 medical procedures to 8,642 patients during the 5-day OLS Disaster Preparedness Event at six concurrent service sites.

Operation Lone Star is a joint disaster preparedness event providing humanitarian services thru the Texas Department of State Health Services, Human Services Agencies, Texas Military Department, Texas State Gaurd, Remote Area Medical (RAM), County/City Health Departments, Local Service Groups and Volunteers from all over Texas and different areas of the United States. 

Summer classes, and eventually regular classes this fall are projected to move under all applicable CDC guidelines, Garcia said.