SAN ANTONIO — For the first time this year the community's seven-day moving average for new COVID-19 cases dropped below 1,000 over the weekend as January's surge, the worst Bexar County has seen over the last two years, continues to steadily subside. Monday brought the latest indication that the county is on the downslope of the latest wave: a record-low for for new cases in 2022.
Metro Health reported 423 diagnoses to start the week, plummeting the seven-day average to 763, the lowest San Antonio has seen it since Dec. 31. February has brought an average of 1,518 new cases a day, compared to the 4,771 daily cases averaged last month.
More than 516,000 county residents have been infected with the coronavirus; that total includes a new backlog of 1,814 cases reported Monday.
Hospitalizations also dropped for the seventh day in a row for our region. On Monday there were 685 patients received treatment in local facilities for COVID-19 symptoms, which is down 29% from last Monday. Of those 685 patients, 186 are in intensive care and 107 are using ventilators.
COVID-related deaths, however, continue to mount. Another 10 San Antonio-area residents have died from virus complications, bringing the community's death toll to 5,196 as of Monday.
No deaths were reported by health authorities over the weekend.
How Bexar County is trending
Vaccine Progress in Bexar County
The following numbers are provided by San Antonio Metro Health. A full breakdown can be found here.
- 1.738 million eligible Bexar County residents have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine as of Thursday, Feb. 10.
- 1.413 million eligible Bexar County residents are fully vaccinated as of Thursday, Feb. 10.
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 total number of coronavirus cases in the state since the pandemic began grew by 6,358 on Monday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. That total includes 5,655 new confirmed cases and 703 new probable cases. More details can be found on this page.
Monday's figures bring the total number of Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 to more than 6.464 million.
An additional 42 Texans have died from virus complications, meanwhile, raising the statewide death toll to 81,030.
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.
Latest Coronavirus Headlines
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- No, there’s no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines cause infertility in women or men