Hays County reports 82 COVID-19 recoveries, 55 new cases Tuesday

The Hays County Local Health Department tallied 82 additional recoveries from COVID-19, 55 new lab-confirmed cases, three hospitalizations and one hospital discharge on Tuesday. 

There are currently 708 active coronavirus cases — a 27-case decrease since Monday — and there have been 7,097 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 945 active cases over the last 21 days — an 11-case increase since Monday. The county reported that there have been 866 probable cases spanning from April through mid November. 

There are currently 14 county residents hospitalized by COVID-19 and there have been 426 total hospitalizations following the fluctuation between hospitalizations and hospital discharges reported 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 the county, the local health department said.

Hays County has now had 6,290 residents recover from the disease as of Tuesday. 

There have been 99 coronavirus-realted fatalities since the first diagnosis of the virus with the county's boundaries.

The local health department has received 48,164 negative tests and there have been 55,261 tests administered in Hays County.

Epidemiologist Eric Schneider urges residents to take precautions during the Thanksgiving holiday to protect the most vulnerable, including not traveling, having small group gatherings and virtual celebrations.

“Even though it is strongly discouraged, we know people are going to gather with family and friends over the next few days,” Schneider said. “While a virtual Thanksgiving is not ideal, it will lessen the chances of a potential Christmas in the ICU, particularly for elderly relatives and those with health conditions. We want everyone to be safe.” 

San Marcos, which has tallied the most coronavirus cases in the county, recorded a 14-case decrease in active cases Tuesday. There are currently 76 active COVID-19 cases and there have been 3,092 total cases.

Kyle has tallied 2,262 total cases, including 320 active cases. Buda has recorded 1,110 total cases and currently has 190 active cases. Dripping Springs has amassed 216 total cases and has 68 active cases. Wimberley has tallied 138 total cases, including 14 active cases. Austin, within Hays County, currently has 21 active cases and has had 119 total cases. Driftwood has recorded 65 total cases and has 10 active cases. Niederwald has had 33 total cases and has three active cases. Uhland has had 23 total cases and has no active cases. Mountain City has had 16 total cases and has five active cases.

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

The 20-29-age-range has recorded the most COVID-19 cases with 2,406 total cases tallied as of Tuesday.

According to the local health department, 1,116 county residents diagnosed with the disease are between 30-39 years old. Nine-hundred-three people diagnosed with the coronavirus are 40-49 years old. Eight-hundred-seventy-five residents fall in the 10-19-year-old age range. 

Six-hundred-seventy-nine county residents diagnosed with COVID-19 are between 50-59 years old, 439 are 60-69 years old, 244 are 70-79 years old, 275 are 9 years old or younger and 161 are 80 and older.

According to the local health department, 3,698 females and 3,399 males in Hays County have been diagnosed with COVID-19.

The county’s ethnic breakdown states 45.68% of county residents diagnosed with the coronavirus are Hispanic, while 28.46% of county residents diagnosed with the disease don’t have a specified ethnicity and 25.86% are non-Hispanic.

By race, 66.7% of county residents who’ve had COVID-19 are white, 30.4% are unknown or not specified, 2.3% are Black and 0.6% are Asian.

The Texas Department of State Health Services reported a record-high 13,998 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday. There have now been 1,115,371 Texans diagnosed with COVID-19, 20,750 fatalities and an estimated 927,331 recoveries from the disease as of Tuesday. There are currently 8,495 Texans hospitalized by the coronavirus, according to the DSHS.

At Texas State University there have been 1,040 total coronavirus cases since March 1 — 977 among students and 63 among faculty and staff — as of press time on Tuesday. There are currently 102 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 13 active COVID-19 cases — nine among faculty and staff and four among students.

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.

The Hays County Local Health Department will not report new COVID-19 data until Monday.