Slower pace of virus cases continues

Double-digit total for second straight day; no new deaths

The novel coronavirus situation continues to improve in Bexar County, with 90 new cases reported Sunday, bringing the total to 59,684.

Sunday’s double-digit increase was the second in a row, a welcome drop after a stretch of

triple-digit increases in recent weeks and a far cry from the daily counts that topped 1,000 in the summer. The county recorded 80 new cases Saturday.

“The trends are encouraging, but we’re a long way from being out of the woods,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement Sunday.

“We’re still averaging close to 150 new cases each day, so we all have to remain vigilant to prevent the spread of this disease. Don’t let up now.”

Bexar County’s rolling sevenday case average currently stands at 144, said Zack Lyke, a spokesman with the mayor’s office.

The Metropolitan Heath District recorded no new deaths Sunday, but it added 27 deaths that were from backlogged investigations. The death toll has risen to 1,201 since the pandemic began in mid-March.

There remain 159 deaths under investigation to ensure the patients who died were from Bexar County. The county’s hospitals serve all of South Texas, and some of the COVID-19 victims could have been residents of other counties.

Also Sunday, Metro Health re

ported that 192 people with the virus were in San Antonio hospitals, up from 190 Saturday, with 81 in intensive care, down from 83. Of those, 39 were on ventilators to help them breathe, one more than on Saturday.

Last Monday, Metro Health lowered its risk assessment for schools in Bexar County from “moderate” to “low,” effectively eliminating limits on the number of students allowed to return to school or the number of students in a classroom as long as students continue to practice social distancing, wash hands frequently and wear masks.

People with no virus symptoms can get tested for free at two locations this week: the Cuellar Community Center at 5626 San Fernando St. and the Ramirez Community Center at 1011 Gillette Blvd. Both locations offer testing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday through Friday. Appointments are not required.

Those with symptoms can get tested at those sites as well.

The city also is offering free testing for symptomatic people at the Freeman Coliseum every day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Registration is required, and appointments can be scheduled by calling 833-2130643.

COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, fatigue, headache, body aches, vomiting, diarrhea and loss of taste or smell.

The city is urging people who receive a positive test result to notify anyone with whom they had close contact as far back as two days before they started feeling symptoms. They also should notify any places they visited and stay home.