Hays County reports 1 COVID-19 fatality, 109 new cases in weekly report

The Hays County Local Health Department reported one COVID-19 fatality in its weekly report. 

The county also reported 109 new cases, 109 active cases,45.2 weekly case rate per 100,000,  6.5 daily case rate per 100,000, five hospital admissions and two new hospitalizations per 100,000 in the weekly report, which includes information from March 24-30. 

The seven-day positivity rate for Wednesday’s report was 3.63%. 

The Hays County Local Health Department currently reports COVID-19 data in alignment with how the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calculates whether a community has a high, medium or low transmission

Hays County has a low COVID-19 transmission rate as of Wednesday, according to the CDC. 

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported an additional 789 lab-confirmed cases Wednesday. There have now been 5,500,054 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 and 85,946 fatalities as of Wednesday. There are currently 1,134 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS. The statewide positivity rate as of Wednesday is 2.87%.

At Texas State University there have been 4,466 coronavirus cases recorded since Aug. 1, 2021 — 3,757 among students and 709 among faculty and staff — at the time of publication. There are currently 53 active cases, according to the university’s dashboard.

COVID-19 METRIC DEFINITIONS,  COURTESY OF HAYS COUNTY: 

New cases: Total new cases since the last report. This includes both PCR and antigen positive tests. This is a change from the previous two years reporting that separated PCR tests (confirmed) from antigen tests (probable).

Daily case Rate per 100K (seven-day average): The number of daily new cases per 100,000 population. This is calculated by dividing the seven-day average by the county population and multiplying by 100,000. This standardizes the data in a way that makes it easy to compare data across areas with differing populations.

Weekly case rate per 100K (seven-day average): Calculated by dividing the total number of cases in the past 7 days by the county population and multiplying by 100,000. This metric is one that the CDC is currently using to determine COVID-19 community levels.

Active Cases: The number of new cases over the past seven days. This number is a very broad estimate of the number of people who may be contagious. 

Hospital Admissions (past seven days): Total number of new COVID-19 hospital admissions in the past seven days.

Hospitalizations per 100K (7-day average): Total number of new COVID-19 hospital admissions divided by the county population and multiplied by 100,00.

Fatalities: COVID-19 deaths reported in the past seven days.

Seven-day Positivity Rate: Percentage of performed tests that were positive in the past seven days. Calculated by dividing the number of positive test results by the total number of reported tests and multiplying by 100. Test positivity rate aims to measure the viral prevalence in a community but is also affected by testing strategies and availability.

VACCINE AVAILABILITY 

In Hays County, “no appointment needed” vaccine clinics are available. Vaccines are offered at Christus Trinity Clinic (formerly Live Oak), 401 Broadway from 8:30 a.m. until 11:30 a.m. on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays with Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson doses available. A walk-in Pfizer vaccine clinic takes place at Communicare in Kyle at 2810 Dacy Lane every Monday-Friday between 8-11 a.m. and 1-4 p.m.

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

According to the DSHS, 142,890 county residents are considered fully vaccinated — 66.37% of 215,309 eligible residents who are 5 years or older as of Wednesday. The DSHS stated that 167,006 Hays County residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose — 77.57% of eligible residents. Additionally, the DSHS stated that 56,551 Hays County citizens have received an additional vaccine dose as of Wednesday.