Kyle woman dies of COVID-19; county reports 84 new cases Tuesday

A Kyle woman in her 40s has died from COVID-19, marking the 209th coronavirus-related fatality in Hays County.

The Hays County Local Health Department also tallied 206 additional recoveries from the disease, 84 new lab-confirmed cases, five hospital discharges and two hospitalizations on Tuesday. 

There are currently 591 active cases — 123 fewer than Monday — and there have been 16,120 total cases since the first COVID-19 diagnosis in Hays County on March 14, 2020. The county has tallied 1,247 COVID-19 cases over the past 21 days. There have been 1,775 probable cases spanning from April 2020 through Feb. 23, 2021.

Twenty-five county residents are currently hospitalized by COVID-19 and there have been 724 total hospitalizations following the fluctuation between hospitalizations and hospital discharges reported on Tuesday. 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 now been 15,320 county residents who have recovered from the coronavirus with the 206 recoveries recorded Tuesday. 

The local health department has received 119,740 negative tests and there have been 135,860 tests administered in Hays County. 

San Marcos currently has 137 active cases — a 62-case decrease since Monday — and there have been 5,740 total cases. 

Kyle has recorded 5,244 total cases, including 217 active cases. Buda has tallied 2,838 total cases and currently has 124 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 735 total cases and has 27 active cases. Wimberley has counted 632 total cases, including 24 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has 29 active cases and has had 476 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 202 total cases and has nine active cases. Niederwald has had 89 total cases and has two active cases. Maxwell has had 56 total cases and has 14 active cases. Mountain City has amassed 39 cases and two active cases. Uhland has one active case and has had 29 total cases. Manchaca has recorded 23 total cases and has four active cases.

Woodcreek has one active case and has tallied seven total. Bear Creek has amassed four total cases. Creedmoor has had three total cases. 

The 20-29-age-range has recorded the most COVID-19 cases with 4,590 total cases tallied Tuesday. 

According to the local health department, 2,475 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old; 2,357 are 10-19 years old; 2,182 people fall in the 40-49-year-old age range; 1,631 are between 50-59 years old; 1,048 county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are 60-69 years old; and 1,028 are 9 years old or younger

Five-hundred-sixteen residents who've contracted COVID-19 are 70-79 years old, and 293 are 80 and older.

The local health department reported that 8,400 females and 7,720 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 33.8% of county residents diagnosed with the disease are non-Hispanic and 17.2% don’t have a specified ethnicity.

By race, 69.5% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 25.6% are unknown or not specified, 2.7% are Black, 1.1% are listed as other, 1% are Asian and 0.1% are American Indian.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported there have now been 2,259,407 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 and 41,641 fatalities as of Tuesday. There are currently 7,014 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS.

At Texas State University there have been 2,138 total coronavirus cases since March 1, 2020 — 1,918 among students and 220 among faculty and staff — as of press time on Tuesday.  There are currently 24 active cases, according to the university’s dashboard.

San Marcos Consolidated ISD reported two COVID-19 cases for the week of Feb. 15-19. Both cases exist among staff members. 

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 only allowing individuals in groups 1A — front-line healthcare workers and 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. According to the DSHS, 22,223 county residents have received at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, while 7,996 have been fully vaccinated. The DSHS estimates that Hays County has a population of 183,380 who are 16 years or older.