Virus cases slow after weekend rise
Some residents are worried less about what’s going to be under the tree this year and more about what’s going to be on the table, the president and CEO of the San Antonio Food Bank warned Tuesday.
The food bank typically sees an increase in need during the holiday season, said Eric Cooper, head of the Food Bank, but that has been exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic that has put thousands of San Antonians out of jobs for nearly a year.
The virus spiked in the summer but has recently shown signs of a new surge coming; in the last week, there were more than 1,000 new cases on each of three days. Tuesday saw a relatively low increase of 452 cases after Monday’s high of 1,117.
But five more deaths were reported Tuesday for a total of 1,362 since the pandemic started in mid-March.
In all, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District records show 81,626 residents have tested positive for the virus in Bexar County.
Meanwhile, the food bank continues to help about 120,000 people each week, delivering an additional 4,000 monthly food boxes to mainly homebound seniors, Cooper said at the daily coronavirus briefing given by Mayor Ron Nirenberg and County Judge Nelson Wolff.
Cooper described some of the Food Bank’s newer clients as “hardworking, self-sufficient and independent” before the pandemic, but they’re “now struggling.”
For November, the Food Bank met “most of the demand without too much rationing,” Cooper said.
“We could’ve used a few more turkeys,” he acknowledged.
“But we were able to make sure November’s holiday was taken care of,” he said. “We’re confident that we’re going to be able to continue to meet the demand.
“I’m anticipating San Antonio coming through,” he added. “They always have.”
The Food Bank is in need of volunteers, Cooper said, to prepare boxes and distribute food.
Those who need assistance from the Food Bank can call 210431-8326.
“We’ve got the food to help,” Cooper said.
Tuesday marked a small reprieve from Monday’s startling number of new cases after the long holiday weekend.
The city’s rolling seven-day average for new cases dropped from 830 Monday to 736 Tuesday.
The health authority reported five additional deaths Tuesday: two Hispanic women, one in her 30s and another in her 50s; two Hispanic men, one in his 60s and one in his 90s; and an Anglo man in his 60s.
Monday, Metro Health reported 1,117 new cases, the third day of more than 1,000 new cases within a week.
About 14.9 percent of people in local hospitals Tuesday tested positive for the virus, accounting
“We were able to make sure November’s holiday was taken care of. We’re confident that we’re going to be able to continue to meet demand.” Eric Cooper, head of the Food Bank
for 593 patients, 80 more than reported last week. Of the patients in the hospital with COVID-19 on Tuesday, 66 were new admissions.
Area hospitals had 188 coronavirus patients in intensive care units Tuesday — 15 more than the previous day — while the need for ventilators climbed by 18 since Monday, with 104 patients using the device to breathe Tuesday.
Seventy-six of the total coronavirus patient count are here from El Paso, where the hospitals are filled to capacity.
As hospitalizations keep increasing, officials are pinning their hopes on quick approval for a vaccine, which could come as soon as Dec. 10.
But officials cautioned that's not a done deal.
“If any of the experts want to think about it more, or wants more data, then it could take longer,” Dr. Junda Woo, the medical director for Metro Health, said Tuesday.