Comal’s COVID-19 Case Count Creeps Back Up as Backlogged Cases Added

Comal County reported 39 new cases of COVID-19 today as 22 backlogged and 17 new cases were added to the Office of Public Health’s database.

Twelve are confirmed cases of the virus and 27 are probable cases. Total cases for the county is now 9,419. The number of deceased remains at 298.

There are now 325 active, confirmed-and-probable cases of COVID-19. Of those, 44 residents are hospitalized.  Sixty-five recoveries were reported. The total recovered is 8,796.

The seven-day molecular positivity rate for Comal is now 75.83%. The seven-day antigen positivity rate is 10.75%. The Trauma Service Area (TSA) P percentage for Thursday is 5.18%.

On Friday, Comal County hospitals reported caring for 14 COVID-19 patients. Of those, six are in intensive care and five are on ventilators. Not all of these patients are necessarily county residents. Not all county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 are in county hospitals.

Location Breakdown of New Cases

• New Braunfels – 19
• North of Canyon Lake – 1
• South of Canyon Lake – 5
• South Comal County (Garden Ridge) – 2
• Bulverde/Spring Branch – 12
• Fair Oaks – 0

Age Range of New Cases

• Under 20 – 11
• 20s – 8
• 30’s/40’s – 13
• 50’s/60’s – 6
• 70 and older – 1

Testing Information

As of Friday, Public Health reports

• 66,549 tests conducted
• 4,955 confirmed cases
• 4,443 probable cases
• 21 suspect cases

Location Breakdown of All Cases

Of the 9,419 confirmed-and-probable COVID-19 cases, the location breakdown is:

• New Braunfels (includes Eastern and Central Comal) – 6,763
• Western Comal County (includes Bulverde and Spring Branch) – 1,363
• South of Canyon Lake – 539
• North of Canyon Lake – 416
• Southern Comal County (includes Garden Ridge and Schertz) – 295
• Fair Oaks Ranch – 43

Vaccines

The Comal County COVID-19 vaccine standby list is open. Residents interested in receiving a COVID-19 who meet the criteria in Phase 1A and Phase 1B of the State of Texas’ vaccination plan, should visit mycomalcounty.com or check Comal County’s Facebook page for more information about the status of the list. Vaccines will be distributed to the public as they are received by Comal County and according to distribution guidelines established by the state.

Starting Monday, March 15, residents between the ages of 50 and 64 can register for a spot. They are included in Phase 1C of Texas’ vaccination plan.

Those who do not have a computer or need assistance can call 830-620-5575.

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.