2nd Panhandle-area state prison worker s death linked to COVID-19 this week
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice on Friday announced it is grieving the loss of a Panhandle-area state prison employee that is connected to the COVID-19 virus.
Dorothy Caylor, a 62-year-old human resources specialist who had 15 years of service with the TDCJ and was assigned to the Roach Unit in Childress, died Thursday at an Amarillo hospital, according to a news release from TDCJ.
Caylor s death is the second COVID-linked death of a Panhandle-area state prison employee in the last week, with 77-year-old Harold Smith of the Jordan Unit in Pampa dying in an Amarillo hospital on Tuesday, according to the TDCJ.
COVID-19: Taylor County deaths climb 3 more, plus 110 new cases
The number of county deaths connected to the coronavirus is 165.
The deceased are a man and a woman each in their 80s with preexisting health conditions and a woman in her 70s with unknown medical predisposition, health officials said.
In the past eight days, Taylor County has reported 39 COVID-19-linked deaths.
The 110 new cases are based on 57 polymerase chain reaction tests and 53 antigen tests.
Active cases total 2,481 (913 PCR cases and 1,568 antigen cases).
There are 102 COVID-19 inpatients at Abilene hospitals, which is eight fewer than reported Monday, city officials said.
Hendrick Health System on Tuesday reported the COVID-19 inpatients number was 17.25% of total hospital beds in Abilene s trauma service area, an increase from Monday s rate of 16.38%.