Hays County reports 1 COVID-19 fatality, 307 new cases in weekly report

A Hays County resident died of COVID-19, according to the Hays County Local Health Department.

The county recorded 307 new COVID-19 cases and one fatality in its weekly report, which included information from May 19-26.

The county also reported a 127.4 weekly case rate per 100,000, a 18.2 daily case rate per 100,000 and one weekly new hospitalizations per 100,000 in the weekly report.

HCLHD reported three hospitalizations over the past seven days in its weekly report. The county considers 307 cases active. The seven-day positivity rate for Wednesday’s report was 13.29%.

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 Thursday, according to the CDC.

Hays County reminds residents that COVID-19 spreads primarily through the air and wearing an N95, KN95 and KF94 mask while indoors will reduce chances of contracting the virus.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported an additional 4,225 lab-confirmed cases Thursday. There have now been 5,613,256 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 and 86,791 fatalities as of Thursday. There are currently 836 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS. The statewide positivity rate as of Thursday is 15.089%.

At Texas State University there have been 4,804 coronavirus cases recorded since Aug. 1, 2021 — 4,046 among students and 758 among faculty and staff — at the time of publication. There are currently 43 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 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-3 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, 144,895 county residents are considered fully vaccinated — 67.3% of 215,309 eligible residents who are 5 years or older as of Thursday. The DSHS stated that 168,923 Hays County residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose — 78.5% of eligible residents. Additionally, the DSHS stated that 59,588 Hays County citizens have received at least one additional vaccine dose as of Thursday.