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Coronavirus Tracker: COVID-19 hospitalizations have dropped 36% so far in April

Fifty-three patients were battling symptoms at San Antonio-area hospitals Thursday.

SAN ANTONIO — The seven-day new coronavirus case average has gone up every day over the last week in the San Antonio area, but local health authorities say the community risk level is still "low" as the region avoids a surge the likes of which January brought.

Metro Health tallied 132 new infections Thursday, bringing Bexar County's total to 536,894 for the pandemic. The seven-day average stands at 116 and another resident has died from virus complications, raising the local death toll to 5,320.

Hospitalizations, meanwhile, continue their recent back-and-forth trend. On Thursday there were 53 patients receiving treatment for their symptoms in local hospitals, which is up from Wednesday but down from this time last week. Overall, April has continued 2022's calming trend; the number of hospitalizations has fallen by 36% since the start of the month. 

Of those 53 patients hospitalized Thursday, 16 were in intensive care and nine were using ventilators. 

How Bexar County is trending

Credit: KENS
Credit: KENS

Vaccine Progress in Bexar County

The following numbers are provided by San Antonio Metro Health. A full breakdown can be found here.

  • 1.44 million eligible Bexar County residents are fully vaccinated as of Monday, April 11.  
  • More than 501,000 eligible Bexar County residents have received their COVID-19 booster shot, as of Monday, April 11. 

The CDC states that "when a high percentage of the community is immune to a disease (through vaccination and/or prior illness)," that community will have reached herd immunity, "making the spread of this disease from person to person unlikely."

The City of San Antonio breaks down the vaccination rates by zip code on Metro Health's Vaccination Statistics page.

Coronavirus in Texas

The total number of coronavirus cases in the state since the pandemic began grew by 2,842 on Thursday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. That total includes 1,779 new confirmed cases and 1,063 new probable cases. More details can be found on this page.

Thursday's figures bring the total number of Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 to more than 6.717 million.

An additional 31 Texans have died from virus complications, meanwhile, raising the statewide death toll to 86,445.

Coronavirus symptoms

The symptoms of coronavirus can be similar to the flu or a bad cold. Symptoms include fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, and diarrhea, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Most healthy people will have mild symptoms. A study of more than 72,000 patients by the Centers for Disease Control in China showed 80 percent of the cases there were mild.

But infections can cause pneumonia, severe acute respiratory syndrome, kidney failure, and even death, according to the World Health Organization. Older people with underlying health conditions are most at risk.

Experts determined there was consistent evidence these conditions increase a person's risk, regardless of age:

  • Chronic kidney disease
  • COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease)
  • Obesity (BMI of 30 or higher)
  • Immunocompromised state (weakened immune system) from solid organ transplant
  • Serious heart conditions, such as heart failure, coronary artery disease, or cardiomyopathies
  • Sickle cell disease
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • The CDC believes symptoms may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after being exposed.

Human coronaviruses are usually spread... 

  • Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about 6 feet).
  • Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs, sneezes or talks. These droplets can land in the mouths or noses of people who are nearby or possibly be inhaled into the lungs.
  • Some recent studies have suggested that COVID-19 may be spread by people who are not showing symptoms.

Help stop the spread of coronavirus

  • Stay home when you are sick.
  • Eat and sleep separately from your family members
  • Use different utensils and dishes
  • Cover your cough or sneeze with your arm, not your hand.
  • If you use a tissue, throw it in the trash.

Find a Testing Location

City officials recommend getting a COVID-19 test if you experience fever or chills, cough, shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, fatigue, muscle or body aches, headache, new loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, nausea or vomiting, or diarrhea.

A self-screening tool is available to see if you need a test.

Here's a Testing Sites Locator to help you find the testing location closest to you in San Antonio.

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