Cumulative COVID-19 infections in Bell County surpassed 11,000 on Friday, as active cases reached 1,829.
The milestone comes a week after the county surpassed 10,105 cases last Friday. Deaths remained at 144.
âWe now have 11,007 (cumulative) cases and 9,178 recoveries,â Health District Director Amanda Robison-Chadwell said. âPlease take all possible preventive measures to help us avoid a spike in cases after Christmas. This includes celebrating with only your household, avoiding non-essential travel, staying home if you are sick, avoiding gatherings, social distancing and masking if you must go to places where social distancing is not possible.â
Although the health district will continue to monitor newly reported COVID-19 cases next week, Robison-Chadwell reminded residents that its dashboard will not update on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day.
A temporary COVID-19 state testing site will be from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday at the Killeen Special Events Center, 3301 S. WS Young Drive.
Registration opens Saturday and must be completed in advance at https://texas.curativeinc.com/. Participants must provide a mobile phone number or valid email address when registering in order to receive test results, according to a news release from the city of Killeen.
Tests are administered while participants remain in their vehicles. A mouth swab is collected, so no eating or drinking at least 15 minutes prior to testing. Results are provided by text message or email within 48 to 72 hours, according to the release.
As Christmas gets closer and the number of available shopping days dwindle, Santa-centered events are popular this weekend to get an extra dose of holiday cheer, with proper safety precautions of course. Check out the listing for more information on riding in a helicopter with Santa, taking your dog to the Santa Paws Parade, or snapping a photo or two with Santa at the mall. Thereâs also live music, food drives, and plenty of social-distance friendly events included.
Local Events
Freedom Air Helicopter Tours is hosting its third annual Flights with Santa event from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Dec. 18-20 at the Killeen Special Events Center, 3301 S. W.S. Young Drive. Flights range from $50 to $265 depending on time spent in the air. Go to www.santaflightskilleen.com for more information and to book a flight.
Get Tested For COVID In Killeen Next Week
The City Of Killeen has announced more COVID testing at a temporary site in Killeen for December 21st and 22nd from 9 am to 7pm.
The testing will take place at the Killeen Special Events Center, located at 3301 S. WS Young Drive.
As with all COVID tests, you have to register online first.
They will be collecting mouth swabs so it s recommended you not eat or drink anything within 15 minutes of testing.
Your results will be sent to you via text message or email within 48 to 72 hours, so you must have a valid phone number or email address.
COVID testing at The Killeen Special Events Center
The COVID-19 vaccine has started being distributed in select settings across the U.S., but that doesn t mean the pandemic is over, and if you suspect you might have COVID-19, testing is still available.
If you feel like you are having any of the symptoms below you may want to go get yourself tested:
Fever
Loss of Taste and or Smell
You can go get tested for free today (Mon. Dec. 14) and tomorrow between 9 am and 7 pm at The Killeen Special Events Center located at 3301 S. W.S. Young Drive in Killeen.