Two San Marcos men die from COVID-19; County reports 17 new cases

Two San Marcos men have died from complications caused by COVID-19, marking the 36th and 37th coronavirus-related fatalities in Hays County. 

One man was in his 80s, while the other man was in his 70s, the Hays County Local Health Department reported Wednesday. Neither man was hospitalized at the time of their deaths, the county added. 

Hays County also recorded 51 recoveries alongside 17 new COVID-19 cases, two hospital discharges and one hospitalization on Wednesday.

There are currently 2,700 active coronavirus cases — 36 less than Tuesday — and there have been 5,083 total cases since the first diagnosis of the virus within the county on March 14. 

With the 51 recoveries reported Wednesday, 2,346 Hays County residents have now recovered from the disease.

There are currently 18 county residents hospitalized by the coronavirus, following the two hospital discharges and one hospitalization announced Wednesday. There have been 125 total hospitalizations. Hays County Epidemiologist Eric Schneider stated that 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 has received 22,621 negative tests and is awaiting results from 33 tests. There have been 27,737 tests administered in Hays County. 

“While lower numbers of new cases is a good thing, the pandemic isn’t over,” Schneider said. “Hays County residents can work together to slow the spread of the virus by washing hands, wearing masks and staying distanced from others.”

San Marcos has tallied the most coronavirus cases in the county but continues to see a decrease in active cases with 21 less than Tuesday. The city currently has 1,240 active cases and has had 2,510 total cases.

Kyle now has 907 active cases and has had 1,574 total. Buda has recorded 683 total cases and currently has 373 active cases. Wimberley has tallied 83 total cases, including 31 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 82 total cases and has 67 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has 30 active cases and has had 46 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 32 total cases and has 29 active cases. Niederwald has had 30 total cases, including one active case. Uhland has had 15 total cases and has 10 active cases. 

Maxwell has had nine total cases, including three active cases.  Mountain City has had nine total cases and has six active cases. 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 2,009 total cases recorded Wednesday. Eight-hundred-sixty-two county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old. Six-hundred-twenty-one people diagnosed with the coronavirus are 40-49 years old. Four-hundred-sixty-eight residents fall in the 50-59-year-old age range. Four-hundred-twenty-one county residents diagnosed with COVID-19 are between 10-19 years old, 286 are 60-69 years old, 174 are 9 years old or younger, 164 are 70-79 years old and 76 are 80 and older.

According to the local health department, 2,666 females and 2,417 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The county’s ethnic breakdown states that 44.2% of county residents diagnosed with the disease don’t have a specified ethnicity, while 37.8% are Hispanic and 18% are non-Hispanic. 

By race, 60.6% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 37.1% are unknown or not specified, 1.9% are Black and 0.5% are Asian. 

The Texas Department of State Health Service reported 6,200 new coronavirus cases and 334 additional fatalities Wednesday. According to the DSHS, there have now been 506,820 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19, there have been 9,034 fatalities and there are 7,028 Texans currently hospitalized by the virus. An estimated 367,354 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.