The Navarro County Health Director died Saturday after a struggle with COVID-19, according to a post on his Facebook page.
Dr. Kent Rogers faced a "long and valiant struggle with COVID-19," the post said. He died at 2:01 p.m.
"Dr. Rogers faced the choice of being on a ventilator for a long term. Dr. Rogers used most every available treatment for COVID-19, but already diminished lung capacity made recovery difficult. Dr. Rogers made the brave decision to move to comfort care only."
"In his own, inimitable way, Dr. Rogers asked me to convey to you one simple message, summed up by #blockyourman. The message is: 1) Wear a mask 2) Wash your hands 3) Stay 6 feet away," the post said.
The Navarro County Office of Emergency Management said he had been at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 in the community as the local health authority.
"His leadership and key stakeholder knowledge have been invaluable as we have navigated this entire pandemic," the office said in a Facebook post. "Please keep Dr. Rogers’s family in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time of loss."
Rogers has been a staple in the community. A bronze statue of him stands in Corsicana.
"From his work in private practice and public health, to his decades of volunteer work on the sidelines of Corsicana Tiger football games, Dr. Rogers has been a constant in the changing face of medicine in Navarro County," the VisitCorsicana.com website says.
There have been 3,285 confirmed cases, 87 deaths and 4,479 recoveries of COVID-19 in Navarro County, according to the state health department.
