In the daily update for the Beaumont Public Health jurisdiction, Beaumont Mayor Becky Ames said there are now 61 confirmed cases in the Beaumont area.
Within the city of Beaumont, there were 57 total cases, two in China, one in Fannett and one in Nome. There are 105 tests currently pending results.
Of those diagnosed, 38 are over age 51. There have been 32 men diagnosed and 29 women. The youngest confirmed case in the area is under 10 years old.
In a message from the mayor, Ames answered why the city was reacting differently to COVID-19 as compared to reactions to flu or pneumonia cases.
Ames wrote that COVID-19 is more aggressive/contagious and infectious than the flu, has a higher a morality rate than the flu, has seen more concentrated hospital admissions over a short period of time, and there is no specific treatment or vaccine for COVID-19.
"We as Southeast Texans need to respect the gravity of this situation," reads the update. "We have the advantage of knowing what can happen if we don't engage ina ll of the mitigation efforts that have been presented by the experts. Bottom line is - these efforts have been proven to work and communities that do not do so find themselves in trouble eventually, which has been seen over and over. Why not do what has worked?"