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: 1,717 new cases were reported on Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases to 105,164. Eleven new deaths were also reported, raising the death toll from coronavirus complications to 1,471.
- Hays County: Officials in Hays County on Tuesday reported 165 new cases in the county and two additional COVID-related fatalities. As of Tuesday, there are a total of 9,175 lab-confirmed local cases (1,428 of which are active), while the death toll increased to 122. 7,625 residents have recovered from the virus.
- Comal County: Comal County reported an additional 90 coronavirus cases – 47 confirmed and 43 probable – on Wednesday, bringing its total to 5,930. The total number of deceased remains at 146. The county estimates 785 active cases on Wednesday, while 4,999 residents have recovered.
More county case information is available through the Texas Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.
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 Tuesday evening, Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced an additional 1,717 coronavirus cases in Bexar County—the largest one-day total reported by local leaders since July 19, when more than 2,000 new cases were announced. That brings the total of local diagnoses to 105,164 with Christmas fast approaching.
The county's seven-day moving average for new cases shot up from 1,123 to 1,174 with Tuesday's high tally.
"No matter how you cut it, these are bad numbers," Nirenberg said. "And they should wake up everybody."
Nirenberg also reported 11 more coronavirus-related deaths locally, an unusually high fatality count for Bexar County. In all, 1,471 county residents have died from coronavirus complications.
Hospitalizations also continue to rise in the San Antonio area, with 912 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment at local facilities on Tuesday. That's 23 more than on Monday, and the first time Bexar County has been over 900 COVID-19 hospitalizations since the end of July.
Nirenberg added that another mobile alert will pop up on the phones of Bexar County residents at 7 p.m. Tuesday, another indication of how severe the pandemic continues to be in the Alamo City region.
Coronavirus in Texas
The total number of novel coronavirus cases in the state since the pandemic began grew by 21,147 on Tuesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. That total includes 16,607 new confirmed cases, 3,318 new probable cases and 1,222 cases attributed to backlogs not previously reported in the state's total (more details can be found at the top of this page).
As of Tuesday, 1.613 million Texans have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The state's seven-day moving average for daily cases shot up to 15,397 as a result of the high case count.
State health authorities also reported 191 additional virus-related deaths on Tuesday. At least 25,606 Texans have died from COVID-19 complications. Meanwhile, the number of Texans receiving treatment at hospitals for coronavirus symptoms on Tuesday also rose drastically to 10,299, which amounts to a difference of 290 patients compared to Monday.
Meanwhile, the state estimates that 1.279 million Texans have recovered, while 275,658 Texans remain ill with COVID-19.
The latest update from the Texas Education Agency showed that there have been at least 90,164 cumulative cases among staff and students across the state through Dec. 13. That number comprises 57,137 positive student cases and 33,027 staff cases. More information can be found here.
The TEA releases new data on school cases on Fridays.
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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.
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.
San Antonio operates several no-cost testing locations, including two walk-up locations open Monday-Sunday from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m.:
Cuellar Community Center
5626 San Fernando St.
San Antonio, TX 78237
Ramirez Community Center
1011 Gillette Blvd.
San Antonio, TX 78224
Additionally, Freeman Coliseum offers drive-through no-cost testing from Monday through Sunday between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. An appointment is required and can be made either online or by calling (833) 213-0643.
Here's a Testing Sites Locator to help you find the testing location closest to you in San Antonio. And here are the dates and times that city-run testing sites will be operating over the holidays.