COVID-19 ‘still here, still spreading’ but cases decline
Deaths in Hays County related to COVID-19 have continued to increase with eight new fatalities in the last week. However, hospitalizations have remained relatively stable while active cases have dropped for the first time in weeks.
“COVID-19 is still here and still spreading in Hays County,” Hays County Epidemiologist Eric Schneider said. “If you don’t need to go out, stay home. If you go out, the best course of action is frequent hand washing, wearing a mask and staying six feet apart from others.”
There have now been 25 fatalities related to COVID-19 in Hays County, with the majority of them being in San Marcos. One resident from the Wimberley Valley has died with the disease.
Over the last three weeks, current hospitalizations have slightly increased from 20 on July 13 to 23 on July 20 and now 24 as of July 27. Overall, 98 people in Hays County have been hospitalized from COVID-19. Some patients are in hospitals outside Hays County but are included in the numbers if they reside here. Likewise, an individual from another county who is in a local hospital would be accounted for in their county of residence.
The total number of lab-confirmed cases in Hays County is 4,203, with 3,000 of those considered active. The amount of active cases has dropped in the last week from 3,080 on July 20 as the county is reporting dozens of recoveries on most days. So far, 1,178 individuals are considered recovered. The Wimberley Valley has had 68 total lab-confirmed cases, one of which is within the city limits of Woodcreek. Of those, 42 are considered active, which is down from 46 last week.
The total amount of tests completed has also risen dramatically as the negative tests from the Texas Department of Emergency Management’s free testing days were added to the totals. There have been 25,278 COVID-19 tests done in Hays County with 21,109 being negative. There are 66 test results pending as of Monday afternoon.
A COVID-19 Fact Sheet has been added to the County website: https://hayscountytx.com/covid-19-fact-sheet/. This document provides a glossary of terms and insight into methods and results calculations.
Hays County officials will soon be announcing details of permanent testing sites in the county.