Comal County Reports Only 14 New Cases of COVID-19 on Friday

Comal County reported 14 new cases of COVID-19 on Friday, including one in an infant – the smallest daily increase in cases since June 11.

“Today’s report is good news,” said Cheryl Fraser, Director of Public Health, in a statement. “The measures we as a community took to slow the spread of COVID-19 appear to be working, but we can’t let up now. We need to continue social distancing, wearing masks in public places and practicing good hygiene so we can see more reports like this one.”

Of the 14 new cases, seven are confirmed and seven are probable; 10 are New Braunfels-area residents, one is from the Bulverde/Spring Branch area, and three live north of Canyon Lake. Five are younger than 30, including one infant; three are in their 30s or 40s, five are in their 50s or 60s, and one is older than 70.

Comal County’s positivity rate is now 16.47%, down slightly from Thursday’s rate of 16.49%.

Comal County also confirmed 98 more recoveries from COVID-19, for a total of 1,154. With 54 deaths, the county now has 936 active confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases – smallest number since July 16. Of them, 56 are hospitalized.

On Friday, Comal County hospitals reported caring for 40 COVID-19 patients; of those, 14 are in intensive care beds, and 8 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.

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.

Long-Term Residential Care Facilities

The county’s long-term residential care facilities have reported the following active COVID-19 case information to the Office of Public Health:

• Colonial Manor, New Braunfels: 20 cases (1 resident, 19 staff); 6 deaths
• Heights of Bulverde: 4 cases (3 residents, 1 staff); 9 deaths
• Kirkwood Manor, New Braunfels: 15 cases (11 residents, 4 staff); 13 deaths
• Sodalis Senior Living, New Braunfels: 15 (residents); *1 death
• River Gardens, New Braunfels: 3 cases (2 residents, 1 staff); 1 death
• Memory Care, New Braunfels: 5 cases (staff)
• EdenHill, New Braunfels: 0 active cases
• Gruene Senior Living, New Braunfels: 0 active cases
• Elan Westpointe, New Braunfels: 3 cases (1 resident, 2 staff)
• Village of Garden Ridge: 2 cases (staff)
• Sodalis Senior Living, Garden Ridge: 1 case (staff)
• Legend Oaks, New Braunfels: 0 active cases, 1 death
• Sundance Inn, New Braunfels: 2 cases (staff)
• Rio Terra, New Braunfels

*Case numbers from Sodalis Senior Living in New Braunfels may reflect non-county residence because that facility is accepting COVID-19 patients from other Sodalis facilities outside the county. The number of deaths reflects only Comal County residents.

Friday’s Numbers

As of Friday morning, Public Health has received reports of the following test information:

• 13,014 tests conducted
• 1,669 confirmed cases
• 475 probable cases

Location Breakdown

Of the 2,144 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County, the location breakdown is:

• 1,612 from the New Braunfels area, including eastern and central Comal County
• 318 from western Comal County, including Bulverde and Spring Branch
• 110 from south of Canyon Lake
• 54 from north of Canyon Lake, including Fischer
• 42 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.