SAN ANTONIO — In the same week that President Joe Biden announced an end date to federal COVID-19 response orders – effectively restructuring the U.S. response to treat the virus as an endemic threat – San Antonio-area health officials continued to report declining case counts and hospitalizations.
Metro Health officials this week say 1,339 new coronavirus infections were reported in Bexar County between Jan. 25 and Jan. 31. The seven-day case average dropped slightly to 191, as did the number of local patients hospitalized with virus symptoms.
There were 191 individuals being treated for COVID-19 locally this week, down 48 from last week. Of those 191 patients, 26 were in intensive care; that also marks a decrease.
More than 682,000 COVID-19 cases have been officially tallied in Bexar County since the pandemic began, though that number doesn't include at-home tests that went unreported (which likely numbers in the thousands). Officials say at least 5,761 county residents have died from virus complications.
Metro Health continues to host weekly pop-up vaccine clinics for both the coronavirus and the flu, though this week's were canceled due to the winter storm. Follow them on Facebook or Twitter to find out about the next opportunities to get immunized.
How Bexar County is trending
Vaccine progress in Bexar County
The following numbers are provided by San Antonio Metro Health via this page.
- 74.6% of eligible Bexar County residents (those over 6 months of age) are fully vaccinated as of Jan. 3.
- 11.3% of eligible Bexar County residents (those over 5 years of age) have received a bivalent booster as of Jan. 3
The CDC states that "when a high percentage of the community is immune to a disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness)," that community will have reached herd immunity, "making the spread of this disease from person to person unlikely."
The City of San Antonio breaks down the vaccination rates by zip code on Metro Health's Vaccination Statistics page.
Coronavirus in Texas
The Texas Department of State Health Services has also transitioned to weekly COVID-19 reports, with new data arriving every Wednesday.
For the week of Jan. 25 to Jan. 31, the state reported 22,525 cases; that total includes 12,328 new confirmed cases and 10,197 new probable cases. More details can be found on this page.
Those figures bring the total number of Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 to more than 8.26 million.
Meanwhile, 160 additional virus-related deaths were reported for the last week in Texas. The statewide death toll stands at 91,121. The positivity rate stands at 13.4%, down from 14.3% last week.
Coronavirus symptoms
The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control.
Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.
But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.
Experts determined there was consistent evidence these conditions increase a person's risk, regardless of age:
- Chronic kidney disease
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
- Obesity (BMI of 30 or higher)
- Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
- Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
- Sickle cell disease
- Type 2 diabetes
- The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Human coronaviruses are usually spread...
- Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
- Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
- Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.
Help stop the spread of coronavirus
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Eat and sleep separately from your family members
- Use different utensils and dishes
- Cover your cough or sneeze with your arm, not your hand.
- If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.
Find a testing location
City officials recommend getting a COVID-19 test if you experience fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.
Here's a Testing Sites Locator to help you find the testing location closest to you in San Antonio.
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