SAN ANTONIO — We're tracking the latest numbers from the coronavirus pandemic in San Antonio and across Texas. Here are the latest numbers reported by Bexar and surrounding counties:
- Bexar County: 185 new cases were reported Thursday, bringing the total number for the county to 44,461. The county death toll, meanwhile, rose to 677 after 21 additional fatalities were reported.
- Comal County: The county reported 14 new cases and one additional deaths Thursday. There have been a total of 2,848 cases of COVID-19 in the county – including 2,263 confirmed cases – while 78 county residents have died. County officials say there are 511 active coronavirus cases, and 2,259 residents are considered recovered.
- Hays County: Officials in Hays County on Thursday reported 20 new cases and two additional deaths in the county. As of Thursday evening, there were a total of 5,230 lab-confirmed cases in the county (2,452 of which are active) while the death toll has risen to 45.
How Bexar County is trending
We've tracked how many coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Bexar County from the time officials began reporting cases in March 2020. The graphic below shows the number of cases since June and charts those daily case numbers along a 7-day moving average to provide a more accurate picture of the overall coronavirus case curve in our area and the direction we're trending amid the pandemic.
On Thursday, Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported another 185 new cases of the novel coronavirus in Bexar County, bringing the total to 44,641. The relatively low daily count also marginally decreased the seven-day moving average for daily COVID-19 cases to 138 a day over the last week.
Nirenberg also reported an additional 21 deaths confirmed to have been connected to COVID-19 in the county. However, those fatalities stretch as far back as May 24. In all, 677 Bexar County residents have lost their battles with the virus.
County hospitalizations also decreased once again on Thursday, as the number of those receiving treatment for COVID-19 dropped to 532. The number of patients in intensive care decreased slightly to 239, but the number of patients using a ventilator increased by one, to 163.
Lynette Watkins, the market chief medical officer for the Baptist Health System, attributed the positive hospitalizations trend to strong collaboration between local hospital officials and community leaders. She also says widespread public efforts to curtail the virus's spread if paying off, adding that the city and county "must remain vigilant."
Coronavirus in Texas
The Texas Department of State Health Services on Thursday reported an additional 5,303 cases of the novel coronavirus across the state, 380 of which came from a backlog of tests conducted in recent weeks. As of Thursday, at least 562,559 Texans have been infected with COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the state reported an additional 234 coronavirus-related deaths, bringing the total to 10,793.
Meanwhile, Texas hospitalizations continue to trend downwards, with the number of state residents receiving treatment for COVID-19 symptoms falling to 5,635 on Thursday. The number hasn't been that low since June 28.
As the school year begins to get underway for local districts, we are also keeping track of the most important updates for each, including links to dashboards created to track coronavirus cases.
Latest Coronavirus Headlines
- Lab at BAMC adapts to work on mission of conducting coronavirus tests
- With seven cases so far, here's what Boerne ISD is doing to slow the spread of coronavirus in their schools
- Bexar County to close all parks over Labor Day Weekend
- Wear The Gown: The importance of a flu vaccine during the coronavirus pandemic
- 65% of Bexar Co. COVID-19 victims had at least one other underlying health issue, Nirenberg says
- Airbnb bans house parties worldwide, citing coronavirus mandates
- Dentist groups disagree with WHO recommendation to postpone routine visits
- 'We’re being treated as guinea pigs' | Faculty members fear in-person return to Texas universities
- Adjusting to back to school trends during coronavirus
- A new White House doctor is giving coronavirus advice to Trump
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.
On June 25, the CDC expanded the list of groups at a higher risk of severe illness due to coronavirus.
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.