Another Death, 44 More COVID-19 Cases Reported by Comal County Thursday
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Comal County reported the COVID-19 death of a New Braunfels man in his 60s today.
He passed away Oct. 15 at a New Braunfels hospital. The total number of deceased is now 452.
In a statement, the county also reported 44 new cases of the virus and 41 recoveries.
Twenty-seven of the cases are confirmed and 17 are probable. Twenty-four are new cases and 20 are backlogged cases just being added to the county’s database.
The county’s COVID-19 total is now 19,458. Some 18,593 recoveries have been reported since March 2020.
The number of active, confirmed-and-probable cases in the county is 413. Of those, 26 people are hospitalized.
The seven-day molecular positivity rate is 5.27%. The seven-day antigen positivity rate is 6.62%. The TSAP is 4.88%.
Comal County hospitals are caring for 18 COVID-19 patients. Of those, three are in intensive care and one is on a ventilator. Approximately 100% of these patients are unvaccinated.
Not all patients in Comal County hospitals are necessarily county residents. Not all county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 are in Comal County hospitals.
Location Breakdown of New Cases
- New Braunfels – 27
- North of Canyon Lake – 4
- South of Canyon Lake – 3
- South Comal County (Garden Ridge) – 1
- Bulverde/Spring Branch – 9
- Fair Oaks – 0
Age Range of New Cases
- Under 20 – 12 (including an infant younger than 12 months of age)
- 20’s – 12
- 30’s/40’s – 7
- 50’s/60’s – 12
- 70 and older – 1
Testing Information
As of Thursday morning, Public Health reports
- 190,789 tests conducted
- 11,210 confirmed cases
- 8,224 probable cases
- 24 suspect cases
Location Breakdown of All Cases
Of the 19,458 confirmed-and-probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County, the location breakdown is:
- New Braunfels (includes Eastern and Central Comal) – 13,035
- Western Comal County (includes Bulverde and Spring Branch) – 3,168
- South of Canyon Lake – 1,372
- North of Canyon Lake – 1,138
- Southern Comal County (includes Garden Ridge and Schertz) – 656
- Fair Oaks Ranch – 89
Vaccinations
Comal County’s Public Health Department is now administering Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to those 18 years and older and Pfizer vaccines for anyone 12 years and older.
Those who are moderately to severely immunocompromised and qualify for a third dose can call to schedule an appointment for a vaccine.
Appointments can be made by calling 830-221-1150.
Probable Cases
“Probable case” is a category established by the Texas Department of State Health Services to describe those who do not have a positive PCR test for COVID-19 but meet two of the three criteria:
- Meets clinical criteria and epidemiologic linkage with no confirmatory laboratory testing performed for SARS-CoV-2.
- Meets presumptive laboratory evidence, which is the detection of SARS-CoV-2 by antigen test in a respiratory specimen.
- Meets vital records criteria with no confirmatory laboratory evidence for SARS-CoV-2.
A probable case is treated identically to a confirmed case and counts toward the county’s positivity rate and total case tally.
Suspected Cases
A ‘suspect’ case meets supportive laboratory evidence with no prior history of being a confirmed or probable case. It is also counted toward the total case tally. Supportive laboratory evidence means:
- Detection of a specific antibody in serum, plasma, or whole blood.
- Detection of specific antigen by immunocytochemistry in an autopsy specimen.
