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: 224 new cases were reported Friday, bringing the total number for the county to 54,195. The county death toll remained at 1,073 as no additional fatalities were reported.
- Comal County: The county reported 11 additional cases on Friday. No additional deaths were reported. There have been a total of 3,410 cases of COVID-19 in the county – including 2,694 confirmed cases – while 116 county residents have died. County officials say there are 235 active coronavirus cases, and 3,059 residents are considered recovered.
- Hays County: Officials in Hays County on Friday reported 61 new cases in the county and no additional virus-related deaths. As of Friday, there are a total of 5,871 lab-confirmed cases in the county (1,555 of which are active) while the death toll remains at 54. 4,262 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 Friday, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg reported 224 new coronavirus cases for the area. That's 74 more than Thursday's daily total and the first time in nearly three weeks that the county has reported at least 200 new coronavirus cases.
Friday's report brings the total to 54,195 diagnoses in the ongoing pandemic. The county's seven-day moving average for new daily cases has risen to 162.
No additional coronavirus-related deaths were reported Friday; in all, 1,073 Bexar County residents have died from coronavirus complications.
Meanwhile, the total number of county residents receiving treatment for COVID-19 symptoms decreased by six on Friday, to 225. Of those, 36 are using ventilators and 83 are in intensive care at local hospitals.
Coronavirus in Texas
The number of Texans who have tested positive for the coronavirus since the pandemic began grew by 4,633 on Friday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. Of that increase, 3,306 are attributed to newly-reported coronavirus cases. Another 1,327 cases in the total stem from a number of backlogs throughout several counties:
- 563 older cases reported in Dallas County
- 15 cases reported in Galveston County
- 460 cases reported in Harris County
- 286 cases reported in Tarrant County
- 2 cases reported in Nacogdoches County
- 1 case reported in Harrison County
State officials reported 97 new fatalities Friday, bringing the total number of Texas who have died due to coronavirus to 15,364. In total, 732,919 Texans have tested positive for COVID-19. An estimated 646,143 have recovered.
The number of hospitalizations on Friday rose slightly to 3,221, which amounts to 17 more Texans receiving treatment for COVID-19 symptoms in the last 24 hours.
The state's public school COVID-19 data dashboard had 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.
Meanwhile, the state on Thursday reported that, as of this week, there have been 86 cumulative COVID-19 cases between on-campus staff and students between San Antonio's three biggest districts. More on that can be found here.
The number does vary from figures reported by Nirenberg at Thursday evening's COVID-19 presser, where he said that a total of just 52 students and staff "across our area" have tested positive. It's unclear what accounts for the discrepancy.
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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.