Hays County tallies 38 new COVID-19 cases, 5 hospitalizations Thursday

The Hays County Local Health Department tallied 38 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases, five hospitalizations, four hospital discharges and four additional recoveries on Thursday.  

The county considers 400 cases active —  33 more than Wednesday — and there have been 17,187 total cases since the first recorded coronavirus case within its boundaries on March 14, 2020. Hays County has tallied 574 COVID-19 cases over the past 21 days. There have been 1,894 probable cases spanning from April 2020 through April 1, 2021.

Twelve county residents are currently hospitalized by COVID-19 and there have been 796 total hospitalizations with the fluctuation in hospitalizations and hospital discharges reported Thursday. 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 16,551 county residents who have recovered from the coronavirus with the 26 recoveries recorded Thursday. 

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

The local health department has received 144,079 negative tests and there have been 161,266 tests administered in Hays County. 

San Marcos recorded 13 new cases Thursday. The city currently has 142 active cases — a 11-case increase since Wednesday — and there have been 6,112 total cases. 

Kyle has recorded 5,542 total cases, including 131 active cases. Buda has tallied 3,037 total cases and currently has 60 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 817 total cases and has 27 active cases. Wimberley has counted 686 total cases, including 10 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has 13 active cases and has had 511 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 211 total cases and has two active cases. Niederwald has had 90 total cases and currently has one active case. Maxwell has had 62 total cases. Mountain City has amassed 45 cases and three active cases. Uhland has had 32 total cases and one active case. 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 4,878 total cases tallied Thursday. 

According to the local health department, 2,636 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old; 2,551 are 10-19 years old; 2,320 people fall in the 40-49-year-old age range; 1,720 are between 50-59 years old; 1,112 are 9 years old or younger; and 1,112 county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are 60-69 years old.

Five-hundred-forty-one residents who've contracted COVID-19 are 70-79 years old, and 317 are 80 and older.

The local health department reported that 8,995 females and 8,192 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 2,397,828 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 and 47,522 fatalities as of Wednesday. There are currently 2,954 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS.

At Texas State University there have been 2,460 total coronavirus cases since March 1, 2020 — 2,207 among students and 253 among faculty and staff — as of press time on Thursday. There are currently 86 active cases, according to the university’s dashboard.

San Marcos Consolidated ISD reported two COVID-19 cases among students for the week of March 22.

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 all adults to sign up to receive a COVID-19 vaccine, which went into effect Monday. According to the DSHS, 57,291 county residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine as of Thursday, while 31,252 have been fully vaccinated, approximately 17.04% of eligible adults. The DSHS estimates that Hays County has a population of 183,380 who are 16 years or older.