2 county residents die of COVID-19; County recoveries continue to rise

Two Hays County residents have died from complications caused by COVID-19, marking the 49th and 50th coronavirus-related fatalities. 

The Hays County Local Health Department reported that the county residents who died were a San Marcos man in his 70s and a Buda woman in her 50s. They were both hospitalized at the time of their death. 

The county also reported an additional 120 recoveries from COVID-19 alongside 15 new cases, two hospital discharges and two hospitalizations tallied Wednesday. 

“The downward trend in new cases is encouraging,” Hays County Epidemiologist Eric Schneider said. “Hays County residents are making a difference by staying distanced, washing their hands and wearing masks.”

There are currently 2,117 active COVID-19 cases — 107 fewer than Tuesday — and there have been 5,425 total cases since the first diagnosis of the virus within Hays County on March 14. 

With the 120 newly reported recoveries, 3,258 Hays County residents have now recovered from the disease.

There are currently 11 county residents hospitalized by the coronavirus following the fluctuation in hospitalizations and discharges. The county has reported 148 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 24,512 negative tests and is awaiting results from 24 tests. There have been 29,961 tests administered in Hays County.

San Marcos has tallied the most coronavirus cases in the county but saw a decrease Wednesday with 16 fewer cases than Tuesday.  The city currently has 845 active cases and has had 2,669 total cases.

Kyle now has 799 active cases and has had 1,677 total. Buda has recorded 733 total cases and currently has 326 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 91 total cases and has 60 active cases. Wimberley has tallied 87 total cases, including 25 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has 25 active cases and has had 53 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 36 total cases and has 16 active cases. Niederwald has had 30 total cases. Uhland has had 19 total cases and has 10 active cases. Mountain City has had 10 total cases and has seven active cases. 

Maxwell has had nine total cases. Manchaca has had nine total cases and has three 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 2,096 total cases recorded Tuesday. 

Nine-hundred-nine county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old. Six-hundred-sixty people diagnosed with the coronavirus are 40-49 years old. Five-hundred-eight residents fall in the 50-59-year-old age range. Four-hundred-seventy-eight county residents diagnosed with COVID-19 are between 10-19 years old, 312 are 60-69 years old, 184 are 70-79 years old, 183 are 9 years old or younger and 95 are 80 and older.

According to the local health department, 2,832 females and 2,593 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The county’s ethnic breakdown states that 37% of county residents diagnosed with the disease don’t have a specified ethnicity, while 44.7% are Hispanic and 18.3% are non-Hispanic. 

By race, 60.9% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 36.7% are unknown or not specified, 2% are Black and 0.5% are Asian. 

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported Wednesday that there have now been 621,667 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19, there have been 12,870 fatalities and there are 4,149 Texans currently hospitalized by the virus. An estimated 522,087 Texans have recovered from the coronavirus, according to the DSHS.

From the county: "Please note: anyone with a current Hays County residence/address, including students who live on or off campus at Texas State, is counted in our positive cases. Anyone who lives outside of Hays County, such as commuters to the university, are counted by their home county’s health department. University officials have created their own dashboard to track cases of students, faculty and staff who test positive, regardless of where they live." Infographic by Colton Ashabranner

At Texas State University, three new COVID-19 cases were reported Tuesday. The university has tallied 239 total coronavirus cases since March 1 — 204 among students and 35 among faculty and staff. 

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.