Bexar County Vaccine Progress: More than 10k kids ages 12-15 have received at least one dose

SAN ANTONIO — We're tracking the latest numbers from the coronavirus pandemic as well as the vaccine efforts in San Antonio and across Texas.

Need a vaccine appointment? Click here for the latest information on local vaccine distribution with our ongoing Vaccine Tracker.

Latest Coronavirus Numbers

Here are the latest numbers reported by Bexar County and state officials:

Bexar County (data as of Friday, May 21):

• 61 new cases were reported, bringing the total number of cases to 221,664.
• 2 new deaths were reported, raising the county's death toll to 3,441.
• 153 patients currently hospitalized; of those, 30 are on ventilators and 49 are in intensive care.

Metro Health reports new data at 4 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Texas (data as of Saturday, May 22):

• 1,353 cases reported, including 857 new confirmed, 262 new probable, and 234 backlogged cases. More than 2.931 million Texans have been diagnosed with COVID-19 since the pandemic began.
• 44 additional deaths were reported, raising the statewide death toll from virus complications to 50,094.
• 2,070 Texans were hospitalized Saturday, which is a decrease of 11 over the previous day.

More county case information is available through the Texas Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.

Vaccine Progress in Bexar County

Across Bexar County, over 1.5 million vaccine doses have been administered, as of May 20. 

• 855,899 Bexar County residents have received at least one dose of the coronavirus vaccine, representing 51.5% of the county's population eligible to receive a vaccination.
• 685,235 Bexar County residents are fully vaccinated, representing 41.2% of the county's population eligible to receive a vaccination.
• 170,664 Bexar County residents (10.3%) have not yet received their second vaccine dose.

The Department of State Health Services defines "population" as residents who are 16 years of age or older; in Bexar County, this represents more than 1.55 million people. As of Wednesday, May 12, children between the ages of 12 and 15 are eligible to be vaccinated. As of May 20, 10,926 Bexar County residents ages 12-15 had received at least one vaccine dose.

The CDC states that "when a high percentage of the community is immune to a disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness)," that community will have reached herd immunity, "making the spread of this disease from person to person unlikely."

71,635 vaccines were administered last week in Bexar County, according to DSHS; a total of 1,500,087 vaccine doses have been administered in the county since vaccination efforts began in December.

Across Texas, 9.424 million residents are fully vaccinated. In total, the state has administered 20.578 million vaccine doses, as of May 17. Texas is in the middle of the pack among the rest of the states, with between 32 to 44 percent of its population fully vaccinated, as of May 19:

Bexar County COVID-19 Trends

This week's update of the Warning Signs and Progress Indicators for Bexar County saw Bexar County holding steady at the low-risk level for another week. The positivity rate rose over the last week from 1.7% to 2.3%, as of Monday, May 17.

The county's seven-day moving average of daily COVID-19 is 138 cases per day. That number is down 23 over the last three days.

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.

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.

A self-screening tool is available to see if you need a test.

Here's a Testing Sites Locator to help you find the testing location closest to you in San Antonio.