Hays County records 74 recoveries from COVID-19, 44 new cases Wednesday

Active COVID-19 cases continue to decline in Hays County.

The Hays County Local Health Department reported 74 recoveries from the coronavirus, 44 new lab-confirmed cases and two hospital discharges on Wednesday, which included information from May 18-19. 

The county considers 265 cases active — 30 fewer than Monday — and there have been 18,775 total cases since the onset of the pandemic. Hays County has tallied 539 COVID-19 cases over the past 21 days. There have been 2,048 probable cases spanning from April 2020 through May 19, 2021.

Eight county residents are currently hospitalized by COVID-19 and there have been 876 total hospitalizations with the fluctuation in hospitalizations and hospital discharges reported Wednesday. 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.

The county has recorded 245 coronavirus-related deaths since the first diagnosis of the virus within the county's boundaries on March 14, 2020.

There have been 18,265 county residents who have recovered from the coronavirus following the 74 recoveries recorded Wednesday.

The local health department has received 167,471 negative tests and there have been 186,246 tests administered in Hays County.

San Marcos recorded 18 new cases between Tuesday and Wednesday. The city currently has 87 active cases — a 13-case decrease since Monday — and there have been 6,692 total cases.

Kyle has recorded 5,985 total cases, including 89 active cases. Buda has tallied 3,336 total cases and currently has 33 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 919 total cases and has 28 active cases. Wimberley has counted 738 total cases, including eight active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has six active cases and has had 564 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 240 total cases and has five active cases. Niederwald has had 98 total cases and currently has two active cases. Maxwell has had 75 total cases and three active cases. Mountain City has amassed 47 total cases, including one active case. Uhland has had 34 total cases with one case considered active. Manchaca has recorded 26 total cases.

Woodcreek has tallied nine total cases. Creedmoor has recorded five total cases, including two active cases. Bear Creek has amassed four total cases. Hays has reported three total cases. 

The 20-29-age-range has recorded the most COVID-19 cases with 5,317 total cases tallied Wednesday. 

According to the local health department, 2,919 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 10-19 years old; 2,830 are 30-39 years old; 2,531 people fall in the 40-49-year-old age range; 1,851 are between 50-59 years old; 1,246 are 9 years old or younger; and 1,180 county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are 60-69 years old.

Five-hundred-sixty-nine residents who've contracted COVID-19 are 70-79 years old, and 332 are 80 and older.

The local health department reported that 9,842 females and 8,933 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The county’s ethnic breakdown stated 49% of county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are Hispanic, while 35.2% of county residents diagnosed with the disease are non-Hispanic and 15.9% don’t have a specified ethnicity.

By race, 69.4% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 25.3% are unknown or not specified, 3.2% are Black, 1% are Asian, 1% are listed as other and 0.1% are American Indian.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported there have been 2,503,036 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 and 49,999 fatalities as of Wednesday. There are currently 2,129 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS.

At Texas State University there have been 2,861 total coronavirus cases since March 1, 2020 — 2,599 among students and 262 among faculty and staff — at the time of publication. There are currently 19 active cases, according to the university’s dashboard.

San Marcos Consolidated ISD reported two active COVID-19 cases for the week of May 10 — 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 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, 83,183 Hays County citizens have been fully vaccinated, approximately 45.33% of 183,380 eligible residents who are 16 years or older. Additionally, 105,060 county residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose — 57.29%. Although 12-15 year olds have been approved to receive a Pfizer vaccine, the DSHS has not yet factored that age range into its eligible population. The DSHS states that 941 Hays County adolescents between 12-15 have received a Pfizer vaccine dose.