2 San Marcos men die from COVID-19; 84 recoveries reported Thursday

Two San Marcos men in their 70s have died from COVID-19, the Hays County Local Health Department reported Thursday. 

There have now been 45 coronavirus-related fatalities tallied in Hays County since the first diagnosis of the disease in within its boundaries on March 14. 

The local health department also reported 84 additional COVID-19 recoveries, 20 new lab-confirmed cases, one hospitalization and one hospital discharge Thursday. 

There are currently 2,452 active COVID-19 cases — 66 fewer than Wednesday — and there have been 5,230 total cases since the first diagnosis of the virus within the county’s boundaries. 

With the 84 recoveries reported Thursday, 2,733 Hays County residents have now recovered from the disease.

There are currently 18 county residents hospitalized by the coronavirus. There have been 132 total hospitalizations. 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, the local health department said.

The county has received 23,287 negative tests and is awaiting results from 30 tests. There have been 28,547 tests administered in Hays County. 

Free COVID-19 through the Texas Division of Emergency Management has been scheduled in Hays County at two locations simultaneously — San Marcos High School, 2601 Rattler Road, and Hays CISD Performing Arts Center in Kyle. The county stated that testing will take place between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Aug. 24-29. 

San Marcos has tallied the most coronavirus cases in the county but continues to see a decrease in active cases with 47 less than Wednesday. The city currently has 1,063 active cases and has had 2,555 total cases.

Kyle now has 876 active cases and has had 1,638 total. Buda has recorded 706 total cases and currently has 352 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 89 total cases and has 67 active cases. Wimberley has tallied 84 total cases, including 26 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has 27 active cases and has had 48 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 35 total cases and has 19 active cases. Niederwald has had 30 total cases. Uhland has had 17 total cases and has 12 active cases. 

Mountain City has had nine total cases and has six active cases. Maxwell has had nine total cases, including one active case. Manchaca has had eight 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 2,033 total cases recorded Wednesday. 

Eight-hundred-eighty-five county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old. Six-hundred-thirty-nine people diagnosed with the coronavirus are 40-49 years old. Four-hundred-ninety residents fall in the 50-59-year-old age range. Four-hundred-thirty-three county residents diagnosed with COVID-19 are between 10-19 years old, 302 are 60-69 years old, 180 are 9 years old or younger, 178 are 70-79 years old and 90 are 80 and older.

According to the local health department, 2,733 females and 2,497 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The county’s ethnic breakdown states that 37.3% of county residents diagnosed with the disease don’t have a specified ethnicity, while 44.6% are Hispanic and 18.2% are non-Hispanic. 

By race, 61% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 33% are unknown or not specified, 2% are Black and 0.5% are Asian. 

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 5,303 new COVID-19 cases and 234 additional fatalities on Thursday. The DSHS reports that there have now been 562,559 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19, there have been 10,793 fatalities and there are 5,635 Texans currently hospitalized by the virus. An estimated 431,960 Texans have recovered from the coronavirus, according to the DSHS.

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.