» S.A. reports lower COVID-19 hospitalization numbers and just 15 new cases.

But officials say safety measures remain important

The state of the COVID-19 pandemic in San Antonio continued to improve Sunday as officials reported lower hospitalization numbers, two new deaths and just 15 new cases.

The number of new infections could be artificially low because of logistical problems at testing sites or laboratories.

The rolling seven-day average of new cases, considered a more accurate representation of coronavirus transmission than daily case counts, now stands at 206 per day.

The coronavirus situation in Bexar County has been improving steadily since January, when the seven-day average was above 2,000 cases a day and hospitals were treating more than 1,500 COVID-19 patients.

Still, city officials are reminding residents that the pandemic is not over and that safety measures are as important as ever, especially as schools let out for spring break.

“Our numbers continue to show improvement, but the virus remains active throughout our community,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement. “Let’s work together to keep COVID suppressed while our community is being vaccinated. Our best tools still are wearing masks, physical distancing and aggressive sanitary measures.”

Area hospitals were treating 291 patients with COVID-19 on Sunday night — 10 fewer than Saturday and the fewest since Nov. 8. Twentyeight of those patients were admitted within the past 24 hours.

The number of people seriously ill also dropped Sunday. There were 123 COVID-19 patients in intensive care, down from 138 on Saturday. Sixty-eight needed ventilators to breathe, down from 72 on

Saturday. Those figures were about four times higher

in late January.

In addition to the 15 new cases reported Sunday, officials reported 632 backlogged cases from more than two weeks ago and 160 deaths that only recently were confirmed to have been caused by COVID-19. Those deaths occurred between Nov. 9 and Feb. 20.

The two deaths reported Sunday happened in the past 14 days. The victims were a woman in her 50s and a man in his 80s. Both had been hospitalized at Methodist Hospital Stone Oak, officials said.

Since the pandemic arrived in the region nearly a year ago, 198,568 San Antonians have tested positive for the coronavirus and 2,847 have died of COVID-19.

City officials announced Sunday that 10,000 appointments to receive first doses of the Pfizer-biontech vaccine at the Alamodome will be available starting today at 6 p.m. To register, go to the city’s vaccine registration website, covid19.sanantonio.gov/vaccine. Residents without internet access can call 311, Option 8, for help.

In all, Bexar County is expected to receive more than 48,000 vaccine doses this week to be distributed among dozens of vaccination sites, including hospitals, clinics and pharmacies, according to the Department of State Health Services.

As of Sunday, about 110,500 people in Bexar County had received a first dose of the vaccine. An additional 155,300 people had been fully vaccinated.

The Pfizer-biontech and Moderna vaccines require two doses for full effectiveness. The new Johnson & Johnson vaccine, authorized by the Food and Drug Administration at the end of February, requires one dose.

Residents can sign up to receive a text message when vaccination appointments become available by texting “VACCINE” or “VACUNA” to 55000.