Hays County records 36 COVID-19 recoveries, 28 new cases Friday

The Hays County Local Health Department recorded 36 additional recoveries from COVID-19, 28 new lab-confirmed cases and one hospitalization on Friday.

The county considers 394 cases active —  eight fewer than Thursday — and there have been 17,044 total cases since the first recorded coronavirus case within its boundaries on March 14, 2020. Hays County has tallied 589 COVID-19 cases over the past 21 days. There have been 1,871 probable cases spanning from April 2020 through March 25, 2021.

Nine county residents are currently hospitalized by COVID-19 and there have been 784 total hospitalizations with the fluctuation between hospitalizations and hospital discharges reported Friday. 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 Hays County, the local health department said.

There have been 16,414 county residents who have recovered from the coronavirus with the 36 recoveries recorded Friday. 

Hays County has recorded 236 coronavirus-related fatalities since the first diagnosis of the virus within its boundaries. 

The local health department has received 141,719 negative tests and there have been 158,763 tests administered in Hays County. One case was removed from the total case count, following the county’s weekly audit. Cases are removed when they are determined to be out-of-county or duplicate data, according to the local health department.

San Marcos recorded four new cases Friday. The city currently has 152 active cases and there have been 6,056 total cases. 

Kyle has recorded 5,493 total cases, including 115 active cases. Buda has tallied 3,023 total cases and currently has 66 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 808 total cases and has 31 active cases. Wimberley has counted 680 total cases, including 15 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has six active cases and has had 505 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 209 total cases and has one active case. Niederwald has had 90 total cases and currently has one active case. Maxwell has had 62 total cases and has three active cases. Mountain City has amassed 44 cases and two active cases. Uhland has had 32 total cases and two active cases. Manchaca has recorded 25 total cases.

Woodcreek has tallied seven total. Bear Creek has amassed four total cases. Creedmoor and Hays have each recorded three total cases. 
The 20-29-age-range has recorded the most COVID-19 cases with 4,838 total cases tallied Friday. 

According to the local health department, 2,613 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old; 2,531 are 10-19 years old; 2,303 people fall in the 40-49-year-old age range; 1,706 are between 50-59 years old; 1,098 county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are 60-69 years old; and 1,100 are 9 years old or younger.

Five-hundred-thirty-six residents who've contracted COVID-19 are 70-79 years old, and 316 are 80 and older.

The local health department reported that 8,916 females and 8,128 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The county’s ethnic breakdown stated 49.1% of county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are Hispanic, while 34.4% of county residents diagnosed with the disease are non-Hispanic and 16.5% don’t have a specified ethnicity.

By race, 70.2% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 25.4% are unknown or not specified, 2.6% are Black, 1% are listed as other, 0.7% are Asian and 0.1% are American Indian.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported there have been 2,377,275 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 and 46,868 fatalities as of Friday. There are currently 3,410 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS.

At Texas State University there have been 2,398 total coronavirus cases since March 1, 2020 — 2,148 among students and 250among faculty and staff — as of press time on Friday. There are currently 59 active cases, according to the university’s dashboard.

San Marcos Consolidated ISD reported four COVID-19 cases prior to this week’s spring break. Two cases exist among staff members and two among students.

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 pre-register for Hays County’s COVID-19 vaccine waitlist visit haysinformed.com/covid-19. The pre-registration list does not guarantee an appointment. The state is allowing individuals in groups 1A — front-line healthcare workers, residents at long-term care facilities and — 1B, individuals 65 or older, or 16 or older with a health condition that increases risk of severe COVID‑19 illness; school and child care staff; and 1C, which consists of those ages 50-64, to register to be vaccinated. The DSHS will expand vaccine eligibility to all Texas adults beginning Monday, March 29. According to the DSHS, 51,915 county residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Friday, while 26,130 have been fully vaccinated. The DSHS estimates that Hays County has a population of 183,380 who are 16 years or older.