Comal County Confirms COVID-19 Cluster at Spring Branch Nursing Home

Comal County’s Office of Public Health said in a statement today it is working to support The Heights of Bulverde, a nursing home specializing in assisted living, which has 23 COVID-19 cases.

Eleven of the cases are among residents and 12 among staff.

Another three cases are reported at the River Garden in New Braunfels, an intermediate care facility.

On Thursday, June 25, the county also reported 33 new confirmed and probable cases of COVID-19 for a total of 504.

Comal County’s positivity rate – the percentage of tests with a positive result – is now 8.47%, down from 8.65% on Wednesday and up from 5.90% one week ago.

“Between the rise in hospitalizations and the increase in cases among at-risk and closed communities, Comal County is facing a new challenge from COVID-19.”

“Between the rise in hospitalizations and the increase in cases among at-risk and closed communities, Comal County is facing a new challenge from COVID-19,” said Cheryl Fraser, director of public health. “To avoid overtaxing our health care system and endangering the most vulnerable members of our community, it’s imperative that we all work together to limit the spread of coronavirus by social distancing, wearing face coverings in public, and frequently washing hands or using hand sanitizer.

Of the 33 new cases, 21 are confirmed and 12 are probable; 24 are New Braunfels-area residents; eight are from the Bulverde/Spring Branch area; and one lives south of Canyon Lake. Ages continue to skew toward younger populations, with those under 40 making up a majority of new cases.

The county also confirmed six more recoveries from COVID-19, for a total of 203. With seven deaths, the county now has 294 active confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases. The county also confirmed one additional hospitalization, bringing the total to 18, up from two as recently as June 9.

Wednesday’s Statistics

5,947 tests conducted
395 confirmed cases
109 probable cases

Location Breakdown

Of the 504 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County,

368 from the New Braunfels area, including eastern and central Comal County
81 from western Comal County, including Bulverde and Spring Branch
22 from south of Canyon Lake
18 from north of Canyon Lake, including Fischer
13 from southern Comal County, including Garden Ridge and Schertz
2 from Fair Oaks Ranch

Residents wishing to be tested for COVID-19 can call the county’s dedicated hotline, 830-221-1120, between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Probable case definition

“Probable cases” 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 following three criteria:

A positive quick-result antigen test
Experiencing COVID-19 symptoms
Close contact with a confirmed positive COVID-19 case

A probable case is treated identically to a confirmed case and counts toward the county’s positivity rate and total case tally.