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: 155 new cases were reported Wednesday, bringing the total number for the county to 53,794. The county death toll remained at 1,068 as no new fatalities were reported.
- Comal County: The county reported 12 additional cases on Wednesday. No additional deaths were reported. There have been a total of 3,361 cases of COVID-19 in the county – including 2,648 confirmed cases – while 116 county residents have died. County officials say there are 225 active coronavirus cases, and 3,020 residents are considered recovered.
- Hays County: Officials in Hays County on Wednesday reported 19 new cases in the county and two additional virus-related deaths. As of Tuesday, there are a total of 5,818 lab-confirmed cases in the county (1,634 of which are active) while the death toll is 54. 4,130 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 Wednesday, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported 155 additional coronavirus cases in Bexar County, raising the total to 53,794 since the pandemic began. The seven-day moving average for newly-reported cases is now 148.
The death toll remained steady on Wednesday with no new fatalities to report. In all, 1,068 Bexar County residents have passed away from COVID-19 complications.
Hospitalizations dropped by five on Wednesday, down to 228. The number of local coronavirus patients on ventilators (41) went down by one, and the number of patients in intensive care (87) rose by one.
School risk level remains in the "moderate zone." Nirenberg noted that city leaders are still holding out for the positivity rate to drop further to 5%.
Monday, during his weekly update of the county's risk level and progress indicators, Nirenberg noted the positivity rate ticked up slightly to 6.4%. Bexar County remains in the "safe zone" for the third week in a row.
City Manager Erik Walsh announced the timeline for reopening several city services as the city moves into Phase 3 of its four-step reopening plan.
Effective immediately, basketball courts, skate parks, playgrounds, sports fields, and fitness stations at city parks have reopened. Parks no longer have a 10-person limit as of Monday.
Coronavirus in Texas
Texas became the fourth state to pass 15,000 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday after reporting 135 new fatalities, joining New York, New Jersey, and California.
The death toll in Texas is higher than that of all but 13 countries. The state accounts for about 7% of the over 200,000 deaths in America.
The number of Texans who have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began grew by 3,392 Wednesday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Of that increase, 2,977 are attributed to newly-reported coronavirus cases. Another 415 cases in the total stem from a number of backlogs throughout several counties:
- 2 cases recently reported by labs in Dallas County
- 2 cases recently reported by labs in Shelby County
- 385 cases recently reported by labs in Harris County
- 25 cases recently reported by labs in CollinCounty
- 1 case recently reported by labs in Hopkins County
In total, 719,599 Texans have tested positive for COVID-19.
The number of hospitalizations on Tuesday fell slightly to 3,195, which is 12 fewer Texans receiving treatment for COVID-19 symptoms in the last 24 hours.
State officials estimate 613,896 Texans have recovered while 87,317 remain ill with the virus.
The state's public school COVID-19 data dashboard reported 1,212 new student cases for the week, bringing the total to 3,445 positive cases out of an estimated 1.1 million students learning in-person. The total count of on-campus staff cases rose to 2,850 after 660 new cases were reported.
The data on the DSHS' website will be updated weekly on Wednesdays.
Latest Coronavirus Headlines
- NISD welcomes back about 12,000 students
- Texas Republicans sue to stop Gov. Greg Abbott's extension of early voting period during the pandemic
- Late-stage study of first single-shot vaccine begins in US
- 20,000 American flags planted near Washington Monument to mark US COVID-19 deaths
- 'Unfathomable': US death toll from coronavirus hits 200,000
- 58% of Americans say they’ll stop using cash after COVID-19, study says
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.