Thread by @TexasTribune

1/ This rural county has the highest coronavirus infection rate in Texas, according to state data.

But that's not the whole story.

Officials in Donley County may just have a clearer picture than many of their neighbors.

bit.ly/2VFxgiW

2/ Donley County was reporting nearly 7 cases for every 1,000 people as of Sunday.

In Dallas, that figure was less than 1 per 1,000.

But that is probably because the rate of testing is higher in Donley County.

bit.ly/2VFxgiW

3/ Six-tenths of 1% of Texans have gotten tested for the new coronavirus, as of Sunday.

The rate is well over 2% in Donley County. bit.ly/2VFxgiW

4/ It’s impossible to know for sure how the new coronavirus got to rural Donley County, but locals bet it took U.S. Route 287, like everything else.

The highway carries 14,000 cars through on a normal day, about four times the county’s population. bit.ly/2VFxgiW

5/ But when the new coronavirus got to Donley County, it was met with formiadbale opposition. bit.ly/2VFxgiW

6/ First, there was county Judge John Howard.

A longtime Marine Corps flight surgeon, Howard moved here more than two decades ago to become the only doctor in town. He prefers rural medicine to big-city hospitals.

"High-touch versus high-tech.” bit.ly/2VFxgiW

7/ Howard knew early on he would need to test widely if he was to prevent the virus from spreading to aging neighbors it could kill.

So when test results were taking too long, Howard got quicker tests. bit.ly/2VFxgiW

8/ Second, there was a group of pastors.

They started broadcasting a joint-sermon at a drive-in theater to about 100 people (and several dogs) over FM radio, occasionally asking parishioners to honk their car horns in an ill tuned “Amen” chorus. bit.ly/2VFxgiW

9/ “Somebody asked me, ‘How long are you gonna do this?’ And I said, ‘Until this is over or Jesus comes back.’” bit.ly/2VFxgiW

10/ And third, there is the one-family newspaper providing faster and more accurate information than the state health department. bit.ly/2VFxgiW

11/ Roger Estlack is the only full-time reporter as well as the editor & publisher of the Clarendon Enterprise.

He quickly became a pivotal player in the county’s coronavirus response, calling and texting the judge constantly, while updating his readers.

bit.ly/2VFxgiW

12/12 Several Donley County patients had to be hospitalized, and two were put on ventilators.

But by this week, many of the county’s 23 cases had made it into the coveted “recovered” category.

Read the full story of Donley County here. bit.ly/2VFxgiW