Virus cases continue to soar

One new death as mayor calls for vigilance with holidays on theway

As families organize their plans for the quickly approaching holidays, officials are urging residents to stay conscious of the increasing coronavirus case count.

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported 389 new cases Saturday, after 390 reported Friday. One death also was reported, that of an Anglo man in his 80s who lived at Sonterra Health Center, a North Side nursing home.

With the case count above 300 for a majority of the week, the rolling seven-day average increased from 300 Friday to 322 Saturday.

Just a month ago, on Oct. 14, the seven-day average was at 132.

“Our COVID numbers are increasing and the holidays are approaching,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Saturday. “It is more important than ever to take precautions to prevent the spread of the virus.”

Nirenberg is himself in selfquarantine after coming in contact with someone who tested positive for the virus. He began his quarantine Tuesday and received a negative test result that same day.

Though he is not experiencing symptoms, Nirenberg plans to get a second test next week and will stay in quarantine through next Saturday.

Metro Health is still investigating 153 deaths reported by the state.

The area’s total case count since March is approaching 70,000. It had just crossed the 60,000 threshold Oct. 14.

Since the pandemic first hit the city in March, 69,793 San Antonians

have contracted the virus, and 1,294 have died. Some 2,428 cases and 21 deaths were reported this week alone.

San Antonio hospitals reported caring for 371 coronavirus patients Saturday, making up about 9.3 percent of total patients.

“We can’t afford to relax yet,” Nirenberg said. “Be careful. Protect yourself and others with prudent behavior.”

Though Saturday’s hospitalization total is a stark increase from the 261 patients reported last Saturday, it is still not even half of the

hospitalizations seen during the peak of the virus in July when 1,267 patients with COVID-19 were in San Antonio hospitals.

Of those hospitalized

Saturday, 68 were new admissions and 63 were patients transferred from El Paso, as that border city’s hospital system continues to be overwhelmed.

Of the COVID-19 patients hospitalized, 129 were in intensive care, with 60 requiring ventilators to

breathe.

This time last month, hospitals were reporting 193 coronavirus patients, with 80 in intensive care and 39 using ventilators.

Bob Owen / Staff file photo Personnel at aMethodist Hospital COVID unit prepare a patient for intubation in April. The city’s rolling seven-day average of virus cases rose to 322 on Saturday.