Comal County Confirms Two More Deaths, Nine New Cases of COVID-19

COVID-19 claimed the lives of two more Comal County seniors earlier this month, the county said in a statement today.

Another nine county residents tested positive. Comal County’s positivity rate is now 15.67%, a slight increase from Thursday’s rate of 15.64%.

A New Braunfels man in his 70s died on August 6. A woman in her 90s from Kirkwood Manor in New Braunfels died August 12.

Of the nine new cases, seven are confirmed and two are probable; five are New Braunfels-area residents, two are from the Bulverde/Spring Branch area, one lives south of Canyon Lake, and one lives north of Canyon Lake. Three are younger than 30, two are in their 30s or 40s, three are in their 50s or 60s, and one is older than 70.

Comal County also confirmed four more recoveries from COVID-19, for a total of 2,263. With 80 deaths, the county now has 514 active confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases. Of them, 73 are hospitalized.

On Friday, Comal County hospitals reported caring for 15 COVID-19 patients; of those, eight are in intensive care beds, and six are on ventilators. Not all of these patients are necessarily county residents; likewise, not all county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 are in Comal County hospitals.

Nursing home reports

Long-term residential care facilities in Comal County have reported the following active cases and new deaths as of Friday:
· Colonial Manor, New Braunfels: 40 cases (18 residents, 22 staff)
· Eden Hill, New Braunfels: 1 case (1 staff)
· Elan Westpointe, New Braunfels: 1 case (1 staff)
· Kirkwood Manor, New Braunfels: 3 cases (1 resident, 2 staff) 7 deaths
· Legend Oaks, New Braunfels: 8 cases (6 residents, 2 staff) *
· Memory Care of New Braunfels: 2 cases (2 staff)

*Legend Oaks has begun accepting COVID-19 positive residents. This number represents cases that were identified prior to admission.

Friday’s Statistics

• 18,234 tests conducted
• 2,270 confirmed cases
• 587 probable cases

Location Breakdown

Of the 2,857 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County, the location breakdown is:

• 2,178 from the New Braunfels area, including eastern and central Comal County
• 393 from western Comal County, including Bulverde and Spring Branch
• 134 from south of Canyon Lake
• 79 from north of Canyon Lake, including Fischer
• 65 from southern Comal County, including Garden Ridge and Schertz
• 8 from Fair Oaks Ranch

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.