Warning on virus as break arrives

As another vacation break starts — added to the governor’s decision to lift the mask mandate and allow businesses to resume full occupancy — officials are worried the progress made to slow the coronvirus pandemic will stop.

“With spring break here for many, the temptation to let our guard down is real,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Saturday. “But we have to keep our eyes on the prize.

“COVID-19 remains widespread in our community,” the mayor said. “We are vaccinating people as fast as we can, but we still have a long way to go.”

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District reported four new deaths Saturday: a Hispanic man and woman in their 60s who were at University Hospital, a white woman in her 70s at Northeast Methodist Hospital and a Black woman in her 80s at Methodist Stone Oak Hospital.

All four had underlying health conditions, officials said.

Metro Health reported 137 new coronavirus cases Saturday — 150 fewer than Friday. This caused the seven-day average to fall from 298 Friday to 249 Saturday.

Hospitalizations continued to decline, with 301 patients with the coronavirus reported Saturday, making up 7.6 percent of total patients. This is 34 fewer patients than Friday. Of the patients reported Saturday, 36 were admitted in the previous 24 hours.

But the number of coronavirus patients in critical condition increased Saturday, with 138 in intensive care — 12 more than Friday — and 72 were on ventilators, seven more than Friday.

In the past year, 197,921 San Antonians have been infected with the virus, and 2,685 have died.

More vaccine will be here this week; the state health services agency plans to send 10,530 Pfizer doses to Metro Health, 12,870 to University Health and 5,850 to UT Health San Antonio.

For information on how to get tested or vaccinated, visit COVID19.SanAntonio.gov.