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Coronavirus Tracker: Bexar Co. hospitalization figures plateau

Facts, not fear: We're tracking the latest numbers from the coronavirus pandemic in San Antonio and across Texas.

SAN ANTONIO — We're tracking the latest numbers from the coronavirus pandemic in San Antonio and across Texas. Here are the latest numbers reported by Bexar and surrounding counties: 

  • Bexar County: On Saturday, 153 new cases were reported, bringing the total number of cases to 203,523. No new deaths were reported, so the local death toll from virus complications remains at 3,077.
  • Hays County: On Friday, officials reported 28 new cases in the county and no additional COVID-related fatalities. There is now a total of 17,044 lab-confirmed local cases, while the death toll remained at 236. Officials estimate 16,414 residents have recovered, while 394 are still ill with the virus. 
  • Comal County: Officials reported seven new cases on Friday, along with no additional virus-related deaths. As of Friday, 9,643 total COVID-19 cases have been reported, including 5,071 confirmed and 4,551 probable cases, while 305 county residents have died due to COVID-19 complications. 

More county case information is available through the Texas Department of Health Services COVID-19 dashboard.

Stay updated with our latest information on coronavirus vaccines and local vaccine distribution with our ongoing Vaccine Tracker.

How Bexar County is trending

We've tracked how many coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Bexar County from the time officials began reporting cases in March 2020. The graphic below shows the number of cases since June and charts those daily case numbers along a 7-day moving average to provide a more accurate picture of the overall coronavirus case curve in our area and the direction we're trending amid the pandemic.

On Saturday, Metro Health updated its online coronavirus-tracking dashboards to reflect an additional 153 cases in Bexar County, bringing the total diagnosis count to 203,523 since the pandemic began. The seven-day rolling case average dropped from 185 on Friday to 167 on Saturday. 

Health authorities, meanwhile, reported no new virus-related deaths. At least 3,077 county residents have died from COVID-19 complications. 

Credit: KENS

Coronavirus hospitalizations have plateaued in Bexar County over the last week, hovering between 182 and 188 for several days (the number dropped by 28 over the prior seven days). On Saturday, the number of concurrent patients receiving treatment at local facilities stood at 187, which is up three from Friday. 

Of those 187 patients, 34 are on ventilators and 75 are in intensive care. 

Credit: KENS

Coronavirus in Texas

The total number of novel coronavirus cases in the state since the pandemic began grew by 4,219 on Saturday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services. That total includes 2,292 new confirmed cases, 1,737 new probable cases, and a backlog of 190 cases. More details can be found on this page

Saturday's figures bring the total number of Texans diagnosed with COVID-19 to more than 2.769 million.

Credit: KENS

Meanwhile, state health authorities reported an additional 107 deaths from coronavirus complications in Texas. In all, 47,093 Texans have died from COVID-19 complications. 

The number of concurrent hospitalizations across the state saw its biggest drop in a week, decreasing by 107 over the past 24 hours to 3,308 COVID-19 patients receiving treatment for their symptoms across the state, as of Saturday. Coronavirus-related hospitalizations have fallen by 41% since the start of March across the Lone Star State, and by 76.7% since the pandemic peak of 14,218 on Jan. 12. 

The state, meanwhile, estimates that about 2.618 million Friday have recovered, while 99,498 Texans remain ill with COVID-19.

The latest update from the Texas Education Agency showed that there have been at least 196,560 cumulative cases among staff and students on Texas public school campuses through March 21. That number comprises 128,352 positive student cases and 68,208 staff cases. More information can be found here.

Credit: KENS

The TEA typically releases new data on school cases on Fridays.

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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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