The total number of confirmed cases among those quarantined at Lackland Air Force Base has risen to six.
The three new cases are among the evacuees from the Diamond Princess cruise ship that arrived in San Antonio a week ago. On Friday, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director for the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Dr. Nancy Messonnier warned that this was a possibility.
"Because the passengers at the Diamond Princess were in a close setting where there has been a significant spread of COVID-19, they are considered at high risk for infection, and we do expect to see additional confirmed cases of COVID-19 among the passengers," said Messonnier.
According to the CDC, the three people are all currently isolated and receiving care at a designated but unnamed San Antonio medical facility. Two of the three new cases were discovered through voluntary testing, the third developed symptoms of coronavirus disease while in quarantine.
Two other passengers who evacuated to San Antonio from the Diamond Princess tested positive for coronavirus disease last week. A person evacuated from Wuhan, China, to San Antonio was the first to be confirmed as having been infected with COVID-19. They were admitted to Methodist Hospital Texsan. They have since been transferred but are still receiving medical care in isolation.
Bonnie Petrie can be reached at Bonnie@TPR.org and on Twitter at @kbonniepetrie.
