SAN ANTONIO — Bexar County health officials are reporting the lowest seven-day coronavirus case total in nearly a year this week as the risk level for virus spread remains at "low" with temperatures warming back up.
Metro Health tallied 596 COVID-19 infections between March 15 and March 21, the lowest weekly total since mid-April of last year. It dropped the seven-day case average from 143 to 85 this week and signals that the pandemic threat continues to diminish, though minor infections are still possible even for vaccinated individuals.
The number of patients hospitalized in the San Antonio area with COVID-19 symptoms also fell this week to 69. Of those 69 patients, 15 were in intensive care.
More than 695,000 coronavirus infections have been reported in Bexar County since the pandemic began, but that number likely doesn't include thousands of at-home tests that went unreported. Nationwide, the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported to health officials has fallen for a month, according to the World Health Organization.
Follow San Antonio Metro Health on social media for the latest announcements on no-cost, pop-up vaccine clinics.
How Bexar County is trending
Vaccine progress in Bexar County
The following numbers are provided by San Antonio Metro Health via this page.
- 74.2% of eligible Bexar County residents (those over 6 months of age) are fully vaccinated as of March 14.
- 14.4% of eligible Bexar County residents (those over 5 years of age) have received a bivalent booster as of March 14.
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 transitioned to weekly COVID-19 reports at the start of 2023, with new data arriving every Wednesday.
For the week of March 16 to March 22, the state reported 9,503cases; that total includes 4,889 new confirmed cases and 4,614 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 8.44 million.
Meanwhile, 87 additional virus-related deaths were reported for the last week in Texas. The statewide death toll stands at 91,939. The positivity rate stands at 7.68%, down from 8.57% 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.