Hays County tallies 97 new COVID-19 cases, 78 recoveries Wednesday

The Hays County Local Health Department tallied 97 new lab-confirmed COVID-19 cases, 78 recoveries, three hospital discharges and one hospitalization on Wednesday. 

There are currently 738 active coronavirus cases — a 19-case increase since Tuesday — and there have been 7,526 total cases since the first diagnosis of the virus within Hays County on March 14. The local health department also reported that there have been 1,137 active cases over the last 21 days — a 97-case increase since Tuesday. The county reported that there have been 898 probable cases spanning from April through Dec. 2. 

There are currently 10 county residents hospitalized by COVID-19 and there have been 435 total hospitalizations following 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 the county, the local health department said.

Hays County has now had 6,684 residents recover from the disease as of Wednesday. 

The county has tallied 104 coronavirus-related fatalities since the first diagnosis of the virus within its boundaries. 

The local health department has received 52,415 negative tests and there have been 59,941 tests administered in Hays County.

Epidemiologist Ian Harris reminds residents that COVID-19 is still “very active” in Hays County. 

“It’s easy to get complacent and forget to practice the recommended safety precautions,” Harris said in a statement. “We encourage everyone to keep wearing their masks and doing their part to help slow the spread of COVID-19 in our community.”

San Marcos, which has tallied the most coronavirus cases in the county, recorded three new active cases on Wednesday. There are currently 72 active COVID-19 cases and there have been 3,132 total cases.

Kyle has tallied 2,418 total cases, including 303 active cases. Buda has recorded 1,219 total cases and currently has 190 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 271 total cases and has 86 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has 40 active cases and has had 154 total cases. Wimberley has tallied 149 total cases, including 19 active cases. Driftwood has recorded 84 total cases and has 20 active cases. Niederwald has had 35 total cases and has three active cases. Uhland has had 23 total cases.

Maxwell has had nine total cases. Manchaca has had nine total cases, including one active case. Bear Creek has had three total cases. Woodcreek has had two total cases

The 20-29-age-range has recorded the most COVID-19 cases with 2,484 total cases tallied as of Wednesday.

According to the local health department, 1,187 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old. Nine-hundred-seventy people diagnosed with the coronavirus are 40-49 years old. Nine-hundred-forty-eight residents fall in the 10-19-year-old age range. Seven-hundred-forty county residents diagnosed with COVID-19 are between 50-59 years old, 471 are 60-69 years old, 255 are 70-79 years old, 305 are 9 years old or younger and 166 are 80 and older.

According to the local health department, 3,923 females and 3,603 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The county’s ethnic breakdown states 45.5% of county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are Hispanic, while 27.5% of county residents diagnosed with the disease are non-Hispanic and 27% don’t have a specified ethnicity.

By race, 68.1% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 28.9% are unknown or not specified, 2.3% are Black and 0.7% are Asian.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported there have now been 1,200,674 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19, 21,756 fatalities and an estimated 993,151 recoveries from the disease as of Wednesday. There are currently 9,109 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS.

At Texas State University there have been 1,110 total coronavirus cases since March 1 — 1,043 among students and 67 among faculty and staff — as of press time on Wednesday. There are currently 74 active cases, according to the university’s dashboard.

As San Marcos Consolidated ISD brought back students at roughly 55% capacity in November, the district is reporting seven active COVID-19 cases — four among students and three among faculty and staff.

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.