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: 172 new cases were reported Tuesday, bringing the total number of cases for the county to 59,902. There are also six new deaths, which means the county's death toll remains at 1,207.
- Comal County: The county reported 12 additional cases and no additional virus-related deaths on Wednesday. There have been a total of 3,607 cases of COVID-19 in the county – including 2,801 confirmed cases – while 120 county residents have died. County officials say there are 102 active coronavirus cases, and 3,385 residents are considered recovered.
- Hays County: Officials in Hays County on Tuesday reported 47 new cases in the county and no additional virus-related deaths. As of Tuesday, there are a total of 6,084 lab-confirmed cases in the county (889 of which are active) while the death toll remains at 55. 5,140 residents have recovered from the virus.
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, Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported an additional 172 coronavirus cases in Bexar County, bringing the total to 59,902. It's the fifth day in the last eight with at least 170 new cases.
Nirenberg also reported six new virus-related deaths; in all, 1,207 county resident have died from COVID-19 complications.
When it comes to area hospitalizations from the virus, the rollercoaster trend of the last few days continued. After the number of residents receiving treatment for their symptoms went down to start the week, they rose to 190 on Tuesday. The number of patients using ventilators (39) went down by one while the number of those in ICU (78) stayed the same.
The mayor also went into specifics regarding case demographics during the pandemic. He said that, to date, one in five COVID-19 cases have affected a person in their 20s, and only 82% of those diagnosed with the virus were experiencing symptoms when they were tested.
In addition, 70% of the county's total hospitalized patients had at least one underlying health condition. And, of the nearly 60,000 Bexar County residents to have been infected, 97% have fully recovered.
Coronavirus in Texas
The state reached an uneasy milestone in the pandemic on Tuesday, with 800,000 diagnoses reached and surpassed. The number of Texans who have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began grew by 5,289 cases, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services.
2,209 of those are new diagnoses over the last 24 hours, while the other 80 cases stem from a number of backlogs in Collin and Harris counties. More details can be found at the top of this page.
In total, 800,415 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Texas.
State health authorities, meanwhile, reported 64 additional virus-related death on Monday. At least 16,622 Texans have passed away from COVID-19 complications.
Meanwhile, COVID-19-related hospitalizations are back over 4,000 for the first time since Sept. 3. 183 more Texans were receiving treatment for COVID-19 compared to Monday, bringing the total to 4,053 and continuing a bad trend for the state's hospitals. In the past week, 659 more Texans were admitted to hospitals for the virus than were discharged.
The state estimates that 708,349 Texans have recovered, while 77,126 Texans remain ill with COVID-19.
Meanwhile, the Texas Education Agency updated its online coronavirus database to show that there have been 12,847 cumulative cases among staff and students across the state as of Oct. 4. More information can be found here.
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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.