SAN ANTONIO —
These are the facts:
- There have been at least 24,631 cases of coronavirus in Texas and 648 reported deaths from COVID-19 as of noon on Sunday, April 26, according to Texas HHS.
- City leaders say there are 1,254 confirmed positive cases in San Antonio as of 6:15 p.m. on April 26. A total of 43 people have died related to the coronavirus, and 531 people have recovered.
- Governor Abbott's order for a "phased in" reopening of the Texas economy is already underway. He also announced that schools will stay closed for the remainder of the school year.
- Per city orders, most San Antonians now have to wear a mask or cloth covering in public areas where social distancing is difficult or not possible. Click here for more information.
Coronavirus Q&A | SA's "Stay Home, Work Safe" order | List of companies still hiring |Shopping times for seniors | School districts offering free meals
Sunday, April 26
9:30 p.m.
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office announced that one more BCSO Deputy, one Aramark employee, and two additional Bexar County jail inmates tested positive for coronavirus.
They say that they have begun testing every employee and inmate in the jail. This comes the day after 21 inmates in the same housing unit tested positive for coronavirus.
"Mitigation efforts in the jail are ongoing and include daily sanitation and in high traffic areas sanitation protocols are conducted 3 times daily," BCSO said in a release. "Additionally, surgical masks for inmates are replaced daily and deputies who work in the jail are utilizing personal protective equipment."
7:45 p.m.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar Co. Judge Nelson Wolff praised San Antonians' social distancing efforts during a news conference Sunday, but also warned people to stay on guard.
"We are not through with this and the virus is not through with us," Nirenberg said.
Click here for a full breakdown of Sunday's news conference.
6:15 p.m.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported that an additional 23 cases of the novel coronavirus have been confirmed in Bexar County on Sunday, bringing the total to 1,254. No new deaths from COVID-19 complications were reported, so the local death toll stands at 43. In all, 531 county residents have recovered from the virus.
2:15 p.m.
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the nation’s governors are rightfully feeling impatient about getting financial help from Congress during the coronavirus outbreak and insists the aid will come.
The California Democrat tells CNN’s “State of the Union” that governors “should be impatient. Their impatience will help us get an even bigger number” in the next congressional relief package. Pelosi has already pledged to provide them billions in aid.
12:30 p.m.
Texas' economy is taking a catastrophic hit — and hundreds of thousands of Texans are out of work — as officials shutter businesses and limit some establishment's operations to stop the spread of the new coronavirus. But while Texans' optimism about the state's economy has fallen, they largely support those measures, according to the latest University of Texas/Texas Tribune Poll.
12:15 p.m.
There have been at least 24,631 cases of coronavirus in Texas and 648 reported deaths from COVID-19 as of noon on Sunday, April 26, according to Texas HHS. A total of 10,763 people have recovered from coronavirus in Texas.
7:27 a.m.
China reported no new deaths from the coronavirus for the 11th straight day.
The country also confirmed 11 more cases, raising its total to 82,827. Five of the new cases were in Heilongjiang province, a northeastern border area with Russia that has seen a surge in infections. Another was in Guangdong province, a manufacturing and tech region bordering Hong Kong in the south.
The other five were imported from overseas. China has identified 1,634 imported cases in all.
Saturday, April 25
6:15 p.m.
Mayor Ron Nirenberg reports the total number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the metro is up to 1,231, an increase of 36 from Friday. No new deaths were reported, but officials did say the number of total official recoveries from the virus jumped from 383 on Friday to 497 on Saturday. That amounts to a 30% jump in one day.
4:15 p.m.
Hays County officials report one new confirmed case of the coronavirus on Saturday, bringing the total number of cases there to 149. One resident has died, and four are currently hospitalized. Meanwhile, a total of 71 have recovered from the virus.
1:30 p.m.
H-E-B confirms that another employee has tested positive for coronavirus. The partner that tested positive worked at The Market at Stone Oak location (23635 Wilderness Oak) and was last in the store on April 18, 2020.
For more information, visit H-E-B's website here.
1:05 p.m.
The Centers for Disease Control has updated its official list of coronavirus symptoms, which can range from mild to severe.
New symptoms include:
- Chills
- Repeated shaking with chills
- Muscle pain
- Headache
- Sore throat
- New loss of taste or smell
Previously, the only official symptoms of coronavirus were fever, cough and shortness of breath. The CDC updated their original symptom "shortness of breath" to "shortness of breath or difficulty breathing."
12:00 p.m.
The Bexar County Sheriff's Office Administration announced that they will begin testing all inmates and employees for coronavirus starting today.
7:45 a.m.
South Padre Island has reopened with limitations in place.
In a press release sent out Saturday morning, it was stressed that everyone must continue to follow the CDC's guidelines to "minimize the spread of the coronavirus."
6:00 a.m.
There were more than 900,000 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the United States by Saturday, according to Johns Hopkins University. There have been more than 51,000 deaths in the U.S., with 96,000 recoveries and over 4.6 million tests have been conducted nationwide.
Coronavirus symptoms
The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include a fever, cough, and shortness of breath, 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.
The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.
Human coronaviruses are usually spread through...
- The air by coughing or sneezing
- Close personal contact, such as touching or shaking hands
- Touching an object or surface with the virus on it, then touching your mouth, nose or eyes before washing your hands.
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.
Lower your risk
- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
- The CDC recommends wearing a mask or cloth face covering if you have to be out due to an essential service or essential activity such as going to the grocery store.
- If you are 60 or over and have an underlying health condition such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes or respiratory illnesses like asthma or COPD, the World Health Organization advises you to try to avoid crowds or places where you might interact with people who are sick.