City’s COVID numbers stay low

San Antonio’s coronavirus numbers remained at their much reduced pace Friday as local officials reported 138 newly diagnosed cases and one more death.

The city’s risk level is still classified as “low” and “improving,” as it was a week ago.

The seven-day rolling average of local new cases has dropped steadily to 143 per day — down from 298 per day only two weeks ago, 639 per day four weeks ago and 1,361 per day six weeks ago.

On Friday, 201 patients sick with the coronavirus were being cared for in San Antonio hospitals, including 34 new patients admitted in the past 24 hours. Among those hospitalized, 75 were being monitored in intensive care units, while 41 were on ventilators to help them breathe.

The latest victim to die after contracting the virus was a Hispanic woman in her 50s being cared for at Methodist Hospital. She died some time in the past two weeks, city officials said.

“Our fight against COVID-19 is not over,” San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said. “There have been supply disruptions in the vaccination process. And it’s critically important that as we await more members of our community getting vaccinated, we all wear our masks, practice social distancing and wash our hands. Then, of course, when it’s our turn, get vaccinated.”

As of Thursday, 220,124 people had been fully vaccinated in Bexar County against the virus, while 389,049 people had received their first doses only, Nirenberg said.

Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff he expects all local school districts’ personnel who want to be vaccinated will have done so by the end of next week.

But Nirenberg said the city and the state still aren’t receiving enough vaccines. “We really need to see those numbers increase — not just here in San

Antonio, (but) throughout Texas and really throughout the country,” he said.

Nirenberg said he expects the Metropolitan Health District to issue updated guidance to schools “within the next week or so.”

Since the pandemic began one year ago, public health officials have recorded 201,411 cases of the virus and 2,996 deaths among Bexar County residents. At least 160 more deaths reported by the state are still being investigated by the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.

Nearly 196,000 Bexar County residents have recovered from the virus in the past year, according to the latest numbers posted Wednesday. That amounts to a recovery rate of 97 percent.

In nearby Comal County, public health officials reported only 17 new coronavirus cases Friday. The county has 244 active cases of the virus — including those of 42 residents who are currently hospitalized.

Since the pandemic began one year ago, Comal County has recorded 9,512 cases of the virus and 303 deaths among its residents.

Among those who contracted the virus in the past year are 8,965 residents who have recovered. That amounts to a recovery rate of 94 percent.

Across Texas, 2,552 newly confirmed coronavirus cases and 843 new probable cases were reported Friday, along with 158 more deaths.

Throughout the pandemic, nearly 2.4 million Texans have been diagnosed with confirmed cases of the virus, while an additional 377,151 cases are considered probable.

During that same oneyear period, 46,235 Texans died after contracting the virus, according to the state health department.