Hays County reports 5 COVID-19 fatalities, 344 new cases Friday

Five Hays County residents recently died of COVID-19, the Hays County Local Health Department reported Friday.

A Buda man in his 80s; a San Marcos man in his 70s; a Kyle man in his 70s; a Kyle man in his 60s; and a Wimberley woman in her 50s were among those who died from the coronavirus. The local health department has reported 467 COVID-19-related fatalities since the pandemic’s onset. 

Hays County reported an additional 1,669 recoveries, 344 lab-confirmed cases, six hospital discharges and six hospitalizations on Friday, which included information from Feb. 10-11.  

The county considers 3,926 cases active — 1,886 fewer than reported Wednesday — and there have been 50,301 total cases since the first diagnosis of the virus within its boundaries on March 14, 2020. There have been 6,629 probable cases spanning from April 2020 through Feb. 11, 2022.

Twenty-eight county residents are currently hospitalized by COVID-19 — 18 who are unvaccinated and 10 who are vaccinated, according to the local health department. The county stated that of the 16 residents hospitalized who are unvaccinated, 12 are non-ICU patients, four are in the ICU and not on a ventilator, and two are in the ICU on a ventilator. Additionally, seven of the 10 residents who are hospitalized and vaccinated are non-ICU patients and three are currently in the ICU and not on a ventilator. There have been 1,626 total hospitalizations as of Friday.

The county has tallied 45,908 county residents who’ve recovered from the coronavirus following the 1,669 new recoveries tallied Friday.

The local health department has received 346,480 negative tests and there have been 394,809 tests administered in the county. The positivity rate for Friday’s report was approximately 17.44%. 

As the pandemic continues, the local health department stresses the importance of taking precautions to limit the spread, including frequent hand washing, social distancing and wearing a mask indoors around large groups of people.

San Marcos has 1,147 active cases — 405 fewer than recorded Wednesday  — and there have been 16,407 total cases as of Friday.
The 20-29-age-range has recorded the most COVID-19 cases with 12,299 total cases tallied as of Friday. There are currently 691 active cases among 20-29 year olds in Hays County.

According to the local health department, 8,242 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old with 606 with active cases; 8,208 county residents who’ve contracted COVID-19 have been between 10-19 years old, including 610 cases considered active; 6,972 people fall in the 40-49-year-old age range with 564 cases considered active; 4,644 are between 50-59 years old, including 385 active cases; 4,663 are 9 years old or younger with 494 cases considered active; and 3,082 county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are 60-69 years old and 329 are considered active cases.

The local health department has tallied 1,499 Hays County residents who are 70-79 years old and have contracted COVID-19, including 170 active cases; and 692 cases among residents who are 80 and older with 77 cases currently active.

There have been 27,004 total coronavirus cases among females and 23,297 among males in Hays County. There are currently 2,207 active cases among females in the county and 1,719 active cases among males.
The county’s ethnic breakdown stated 48% of county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are Hispanic, while 38% of county residents diagnosed with the disease are non-Hispanic and 14% don’t have a specified ethnicity.

By race, 69.3% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 20.6% are unknown or not specified, 4.9 % are listed as other, 3.7% are Black, 1.3% are Asian and 0.2% are American Indian.
The Texas Department of State Health Services reported an additional 9,778 lab-confirmed cases Friday. There have now been 5,349,901 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 and 80,5666 fatalities as of Friday. There are currently 8,481 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS. The statewide positivity rate as of Friday is 17.2%.

At Texas State University there have been 4,145 coronavirus cases recorded since Aug. 1, 2021 — 3,456 among students and 689 among faculty and staff — at the time of publication. There are currently 279 active cases, according to the university’s dashboard.

VACCINE AVAILABILITY

In Hays County, “no appointment needed” vaccine clinics are available. Vaccines usually offered Monday-Friday at Live Oak Community Clinic, 401 Broadway won’t be available until further notice, according to the Hays County Local Health Department. A walk-in Pfizer vaccine clinic takes place at Communicare in Kyle at 2810 Dacy Lane every Monday-Friday between 11-8 a.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, 140,050 county residents are considered fully vaccinated — 65.05% of 215,309 eligible residents who are 5 years or older as of Friday. The DSHS stated that 164,705 Hays County residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose — 76.5% of eligible residents. Additionally, the DSHS stated that 53,453 Hays County citizens have received an additional vaccine dose as of Friday.