Hays County records 46 new COVID-19 cases, 79 recoveries

The Hays County Local Health Department reported 46 new COVID-19 cases, 79 additional recoveries and four new hospitalizations Thursday. 

There are now 2,992 active cases — 32 less cases since Wednesday — and there have been 4,091 total cases since the first diagnosis of the virus within the county. 

With the four additional hospitalizations  announced Thursday, there are 24 county residents currently hospitalized by the disease and there have been 93 total hospitalizations. According to 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.

The 79 recoveries recorded Tuesday marks 1,077 county residents who have recovered from the disease. 

The county has recorded 22 COVID-19-related fatalities since the first diagnosis of the virus.

The local health department has received 20,850 negative tests and is awaiting results from 54 tests. 

“While we are making strides toward reducing the number of new cases, Hays County residents are urged to continue practicing social distancing, wearing masks and washing their hands frequently,” Schneider said. “These simple steps can help slow the spread of the virus and protect the most vulnerable in our community.

He added that the report now includes all of the negative test results of Hays County residents who were tested by the Texas Division of Emergency Management in Kyle and San Marcos in late June and early July. The positives were already accounted for in the data, but TDEM sent 8,561 negative test results to the local health department Thursday. 

San Marcos has tallied the most coronavirus cases in the county but continues to see a decrease in active cases with a 27-case drop Thursday. The city currently has 1,551 active cases and has had 2,120 total cases.

Kyle now has 859 active cases and has had 1,191 total. Buda has recorded 538 total cases and currently has 403 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 75 total cases and has 62 active cases. Wimberley has tallied 65 total cases, including 42 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has 28 active cases and has had 40 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 22 total cases and has 20 active cases. Niederwald has had 16 total cases and has 10 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 1,778. Six-hundred-eighty-one county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old. Four-hundred-sixty-five people diagnosed with the disease are 40-49 years old. Three-hundred-sixty-three residents fall in the 50-59-year-old age range. Two-hundred-eighty-two county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are between 10-19 years old, 223 are 60-69 years old, 123 are 9 years old or younger, 109 are 70-79 years old and 67 are 80 and older.

According to the local health department, 2,146 females and 1,945 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The county’s ethnic breakdown states that 41.8% of county residents diagnosed with the disease don’t have a specified ethnicity, while 40.1% are Hispanic and 18.9% are non-Hispanic. 

 By race, 54.7% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 42.7% are unknown or not specified, 2% are Black and 0.5% are Asian. 

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported 173 COVID-19-related fatalities Thursday and an additional 9,507 new cases. The DSHS reports that 361,125 Texans have been diagnosed with the coronavirus, there have been 4,521 fatalities and there have been an estimated 203,826 Texans who have recovered from the disease. There are currently 9,507 Texans hospitalized by the virus.

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.