4 Hays County residents die of COVID-19; County records 1,147 new cases Friday

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

A San Marcos woman in her 90s; a Kyle man in his 50s; a Kyle woman in her 50s; and a Kyle woman in her 30s were among those who died from the coronavirus. Hays County has recorded 431 COVID-19-related fatalities since the pandemic’s onset. 

An additional 1,636 recoveries, 1,147 lab-confirmed cases, 17 hospitalizations and 17 hospital discharges were reported by the local health department in Friday’s report, which included information from Jan. 20-21. 

The county considers 5,791 cases active — 493 fewer than reported Wednesday — and there have been 42,832 total cases since the first diagnosis of the virus within its boundaries on March 14, 2020. There have been 5,014 probable cases spanning from April 2020 through Jan. 21  2022.

Twenty-seven county residents are currently hospitalized by COVID-19 — 15 who are unvaccinated and 12 who are vaccinated, according to the local health department. The county stated that of the 15 residents hospitalized who are unvaccinated, 11 are non-ICU patients, three are in the ICU and on a ventilator and one is in the ICU and not on a ventilator. Additionally, 10 of the residents who are hospitalized and vaccinated are non-ICU patients and two are currently in the ICU and not on a ventilator. There have been 1,519 total hospitalizations as of Friday.

The county has tallied 36,610 county residents who’ve recovered from the coronavirus following the 1,636 recoveries reported Friday.

The local health department has received 325,772 negative tests and there have been 368,604 tests administered in the county. The positivity rate for Friday’s report is approximately 37.21%.

As coronavirus cases continue to increase in Hays County, 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 1,862 active cases — 219 more than recorded Wednesday — and there have been 14,124 total cases as of Friday.

Kyle has recorded 13,865 total cases, including 1,956 active cases. Buda has tallied 8,181 total cases and currently has 1,206 active cases. Wimberley has counted 2,367 total cases, including 301 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 1,816 total cases and has 164 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, has had 1,163 total cases and has 120 active cases. Driftwood has recorded 614 total cases with 65 cases considered active. Niederwald has had 202 total cases including 24 active cases. Maxwell has had 182 total cases, including 53 active cases. Mountain City has amassed 112 total cases and has 12 active cases. Uhland has had 98 total cases with 19 considered active. Manchaca has recorded 71 total cases and four active cases. Woodcreek has recorded 13 total cases. 

Creedmoor has recorded 13 total cases with five considered active. Bear Creek has amassed eight total cases. Hays has reported three total cases.

The 20-29-age-range has recorded the most COVID-19 cases with 10,937 total cases tallied as of Friday. There are currently 1,395 active cases among 20-29 year olds in Hays County.

According to the local health department, 7,014 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old with 1,024 with active cases; 6,993 county residents who’ve contracted COVID-19 have been between 10-19 years old, including 936 cases considered active; 5,909 people fall in the 40-49-year-old age range with 854 cases considered active; 3,968 are between 50-59 years old, including 503 active cases; 3,719 are 9 years old or younger with 570 cases considered active; and 2,496 county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are 60-69 years old and 297 are considered active cases.

The local health department has tallied 1,224 Hays County residents who are 70-79 years old and have contracted COVID-19, including 159 active cases; and 572 cases among residents who are 80 and older with 53 cases currently active.

There have been 22,891 total coronavirus cases among females and 19,941 among males in Hays County. There are currently 3,363 active cases among females in the county and 2,428 active cases among males.

The county’s ethnic breakdown stated 49% of county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are Hispanic, while 38% of county residents diagnosed with the disease are non-Hispanic and 13% 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 55,886 lab-confirmed cases Friday. There have now been 4,842,913 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 and 31,312 fatalities as of Friday. There are currently 13,371 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS. The statewide positivity rate as of Friday is 33.27%.

At Texas State University there have been 3,194 coronavirus cases recorded since Aug. 1, 2021 — 2,675 among students and 519 among faculty and staff — at the time of publication. There are currently 602 active cases, according to the university’s dashboard.

San Marcos Consolidated ISD reported 27 new COVID-19 cases Friday — 18 among 8,200 students and nine among 1,230 faculty and 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.

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, MedPark Pharmacy, 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, 137,877 county residents are considered fully vaccinated — 64.04% of 215,309 eligible residents who are 5 years or older as of Friday. The DSHS stated that 162,658  Hays County residents have received at least one COVID-19 vaccination dose — 75.55% of eligible residents.  Additionally, the DSHS stated that 49,968 Hays County citizens have received an additional vaccine dose as of Friday.