COVID cases continue downward trend
Just over 3,000 county residents have died of virus
While the spread of the coronavirus in Bexar County continued to trend in the right direction Sunday, the region reached yet another tragic milestone: more than 3,000 residents have died of COVID-19.
More than half of the total deaths have been reported in the past three months, as transmission of the coronavirus in San Antonio surged following the winter holidays.
“While the numbers have declined, we continue to see the virus spread through our community,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement Sunday.
Officials reported 193 new coronavirus cases, down from 281 on Saturday. The rolling seven-day average of new cases now stands at 174 per day, down from 312 a month ago and 2,062 two months ago.
There were no new deaths reported Sunday, but officials added 74 deaths that only recently were confirmed to have been caused by COVID-19 and 665 backlogged cases from more than two weeks ago. The deaths occurred between Dec. 25 and March 4.
Since the pandemic arrived in the region about a year ago, 202,550 Bexar County residents have tested positive for the coronavirus and 3,071 have died of COVID-19.
“Working together to keep COVID suppressed is the way to end
the pandemic as quickly as possible,” Nirenberg said. “Wear a mask, keep your distance from those outside of your household, and wash your hands frequently.”
San Antonio’s hospitals were treating fewer patients with COVID-19 on Sunday despite 29 new admissions in the past 24 hours, bringing the total to 188, down from 191 on Saturday.
The number of patients with COVID-19 in San Antonio hospitals peaked at 1,520 patients in mid-january. There were 595 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 here a month ago. Of that total, 76 patients required intensive care — five more than on Saturday — and 45 needed a ventilator to breathe, four more than on Saturday.
Bexar County is expected to receive more than 50,000 vaccine doses this week, according to the Department of State Health Services.
As of Sunday, about 184,200 people in Bexar County had received a first dose of the vaccine. An additional 229,400 people have been fully vaccinated — about 12 percent of the county’s residents.
Across Texas, about 3.3 million people have received a first dose and an additional 3 million have been fully vaccinated.
The Pfizer-biontech and Moderna vaccines require two doses. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine requires one dose.
Residents can sign up to receive a text message when vaccination appointments become available by texting “VACCINE” or “VACUNA” to 55000.
The Express-news vaccine FAQ page has detailed information about vaccination locations and how to make appointments.