3 Hays County men die of COVID-19; 243 new cases recorded Thursday

Three Hays County residents recently died of COVID-19, the Hays County Local Health Department reported Thursday.

Among those who died from the coronavirus were a San Marcos man in his 70s; a Kyle man in his 40s; and Uhland man in his 40s. The county has recorded 333 COVID-19-related fatalities since the pandemic’s onset. 

The HCLHD also tallied 243 new lab-confirmed coronavirus cases, 169 additional recoveries, nine hospitalizations and four hospital discharges on Thursday. 

Hays County considers 1,977 cases active — 71 more than Wednesday — and there have been 26,620 total cases since the first diagnosis of the virus within its boundaries on March 14, 2020. The county has tallied 3,025 COVID-19 cases over the past 21 days. There have been 2,959 probable cases spanning from April 2020 through Sept. 9, 2021.

Sixty county residents are currently hospitalized by COVID-19 — 52 who are unvaccinated and eight who are fully vaccinated, according to the local health department. The county stated that of the 52 citizens hospitalized who are unvaccinated, 16 are in the ICU and on a ventilator, 21 are non-ICU patients and 15 are in the ICU and not currently on a ventilator. Additionally, six of the county residents hospitalized who are vaccinated are non-ICU patients, two are in the ICU and on a ventilator and two are in the ICU and not on a ventilator. There have been 1,213 total hospitalizations as of Thursday. 

There have been 24,310 county residents who’ve recovered from the coronavirus following the 169 recoveries tallied Thursday.

The local health department has received 234,306 negative tests and there have been 260,926 tests administered in Hays County. The positivity rate for Thursday’s report was 12.14%.

San Marcos recorded 85 new cases Wednesday. The city currently has 668 active cases — 21 more than Wednesday — and there have been 9,136 total cases. 

Kyle has recorded 8,604 total cases, including 566 active cases. Buda has tallied 4,794 total cases and currently has 355 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 1,297 total cases and has 84 active cases. Wimberley has counted 1,287 total cases, including 193 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, has had 743 total cases and has 36 active cases. Driftwood has recorded 389 total cases with 49 cases considered active. Niederwald has had 124 total cases, including six active cases. Mountain City has amassed 72 total cases with five currently considered active. Maxwell has had 59 total cases, including three active cases. Uhland has had 48 total cases and has five active cases. Manchaca has recorded 37 total cases with seven currently considered active.

Woodcreek has recorded 12 total. Creedmoor has recorded eight total cases. Bear Creek has amassed seven total cases. Hays has reported three total cases.

The 20-29-age-range has recorded the most COVID-19 cases with 7,035 total cases tallied as of Thursday. There are currently 362 active cases among 20-29 year olds in Hays County.

According to the local health department, 4,351 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 10-19 years old, including 479 cases considered active; 4,194 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old with 303 with active cases; 3,608 people fall in the 40-49-year-old age range with 265 cases considered active; 2,513 are between 50-59 years old, including 125 active cases; 2,106 are 9 years old or younger with 305 cases considered active; and 1,621 county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are 60-69 years old and 88 are considered active cases.

Seven-hundred-sixty-four Hays County residents who've contracted COVID-19 are 70-79 years old, including 32 active cases; and 428 are 80 and older with 18 cases currently active.

The local health department reported that 13,853 females and 12,767 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19. There are currently 1,043 active cases among females in the county and there are 934 active cases among males. 

The county’s ethnic breakdown stated 49.4% of county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are Hispanic, while 36.5% of county residents diagnosed with the disease are non-Hispanic and 14.1% don’t have a specified ethnicity.

By race, 68.9% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 25.9% are unknown or not specified, 3.2% are Black, 1% are Asian, 0.9% are listed as other and 0.1% are American Indian.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported an additional 23,700 lab-confirmed cases Thursday. There have now been 3,156,901Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 and 57,932 fatalities as of Thursday. There are currently 13,486 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS. The statewide positivity rate as of Thursday is 14.85%.

At Texas State University there have been 891 coronavirus cases recorded since Aug. 1 — 824 among students and 67 among faculty and staff — at the time of publication. There are currently 248 active cases, according to the university’s dashboard.

San Marcos Consolidated ISD reported 77 active COVID-19 cases as of Thursday — 72 among 8,000 SMCISD students and five among 1,230 faculty and staff members. 
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.

COVID-19 VACCINE SIGNUP

To make an appointment for a vaccine shot, visit https://www.haysinformed.com. From there you can use the new online scheduler to find a time and location that works best for you. According to the DSHS, 117,388 Hays County residents have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of Monday, approximately 59.89% of 195,999 eligible residents who are 12 years or older. Additionally, 139,534 county residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose — 71.19% of the eligible population.

“No appointment needed” vaccine clinics are available Monday-Friday at Live Oak Community Clinic, 401 Broadway, in San Marcos between 8:30-11:30 a.m. and 1:30-4:30 p.m. Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson vaccines are available at this clinic. 

A walk-in Pfizer vaccine clinic takes place at Communicare in Kyle at 2810 Dacy Lane every Monday-Friday between 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-3 p.m.

COVID-19 vaccines are widely available in San Marcos at multiple CVS pharmacies, multiple Walgreens pharmacies, both H-E-B pharmacies, MedPark Pharmacy, San Marcos Family Medicine and Sam’s Club Pharmacy. Visit  https://hayscountytx.com/covid-19-information-for-hays-county-residents/ to see other locations across the county. Check with each location to see if an appointment is required or if walk-in is accepted.