2 Kyle residents die from COVID-19; County reports 42 new cases

Two Kyle residents have died from complications caused by COVID-19, marking the 23rd and 24th coronavirus-related fatalities in Hays County. 

The Hays County Local Health Department stated that the Kyle residents who died were a man in his 50s and a woman in her 60s. Both were hospitalized at the time of their deaths. 

The local health department also reported 42 new COVID-19 cases, 55 recoveries and two hospital discharges on Friday.

There are currently 2,977 active cases — a 15-case drop since Thursday — and there have been 4,133 total cases since the first virus diagnosis within the county on March 14. 

Hays County currently has 20 residents hospitalized by the coronavirus and has had 93 total hospitalizations. According to county Epidemiologist Eric Schneider, some patients hospitalized by COVID-19 are in hospitals outside of Hays County but are included in the county’s numbers if they reside within the county.

With the additional 55 recoveries reported Friday, 1,132 county residents have recovered from the disease. 

The local health department has received 20,924 negative COVID-19 tests and is awaiting results from 52 tests. 

“We continue to ask all Hays County residents to practice social distancing, wear masks and wash their hands frequently,” Schneider said in a statement. “If you don’t need to go out, staying at home can also help slow the spread of the virus.”

San Marcos has tallied the most coronavirus cases in the county but continues to see a decrease in active cases with a 28-case drop Friday. The city currently has 1,523 active cases and has had 2,129 total cases.

Kyle now has 870 active cases and has had 1,214 total. Buda has recorded 547 total cases and currently has 407 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 75 total cases and has 62 active cases. Wimberley has tallied 65 total cases, including 40 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has 29 active cases and has had 41 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 22 total cases and has 20 active cases. Niederwald has had 16 total cases and has nine active cases. 

Uhland has had nine total cases and has eight active cases. Maxwell has had six total cases, including five active cases. Mountain City has had four total cases and has one active case. Manchaca has had three total cases and two active cases. Bear Creek and Woodcreek each have had one total case.

The 20-29-age-range has recorded the most COVID-19 cases with 1,792. Six-hundred-ninety county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old. Four-hundred-seventy-two people diagnosed with the disease are 40-49 years old. Three-hundred-sixty-seven residents fall in the 50-59-year-old age range. Two-hundred-eighty-four county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are between 10-19 years old, 224 are 60-69 years old, 126 are 9 years old or younger, 111 are 70-79 years old and 67 are 80 and older.

According to the local health department, 2,168 females and 1,965 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The county’s ethnic breakdown states that 41.64% of county residents diagnosed with the disease don’t have a specified ethnicity, while 40.31% are Hispanic and 18.05% are non-Hispanic. 

By race, 54.9% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 42.6% are unknown or not specified, 2.1% are Black and 0.5% are Asian. 

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 196 COVID-19-related fatalities Friday and an additional 8,701 new cases. The DSHS reports that 369,826 Texans have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, there have been 4,717 fatalities and there have been an estimated 212,216 Texans who have recovered from the disease. There are currently 10,036 Texans hospitalized by the virus, however, the DSHS is reporting incomplete hospitalization data due to a transition in reporting to comply with new federal requirements. 

COVID-19 causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough that clear up in two to three weeks for most people. The disease, however, can cause more severe illness, including pneumonia, and death, especially for older adults and people with existing health problems.