County Reports 505 Active COVID-19 Cases, Rise in Hospitalizations — and “Sicker” Children

Medical professionals are treating children who are “sicker” with the COVID-19 virus and hospitalizations continue to rise, Public Health Director Cheryl Fraser said at Comal County Commissioners Court today.

There are still no “confirmed” cases of the Delta variant in the county, she said. But that doesn’t mean it’s not here — the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) hasn’t tested the county’s specimens yet.

The county also does not know how many of the residents hospitalized with COVID-19 are vaccinated.

“That would require a lot of research for us and we don’t have the staff to do that right now,” Fraser said. “If they’re in the hospital and they’re positive that means we would have to go through and read their entire hospital record to figure that out.”

However, some of those vaccinated are still catching the virus, she said.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Fraser warned that hospitalizations are increasing.

“Hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients are up in local hospitals,” she said. “We’re also seeing more children who are presenting sicker with COVID-19,” said Comal County Director of Public Health Cheryl Fraser. “Being vaccinated is still the best way to protect yourself against the virus. You can make an appointment at our Public Health Clinic if you still have not received a COVID-19 vaccine.”

She told commissioners that 60.66% of county residents ages 12 and over have been vaccinated with at least one dose. That compares with 58.67% of Texans statewide. Some 53.49% of county residents ages 12 and older are fully vaccinated, compared with 51.60% of all Texans. At least 88.43% of county residents ages 65 have received at least one dose of the vaccine, compared with 82.55% statewide. Some 80.62% of county residents ages 65 and older are fully vaccinated, compared to 74.53% of all Texans.

Fraser said Comal County also reported positivity rates slightly below state averages. Today’s seven-day molecular positivity rate for Comal County is 11.38% compared to Texas’ 11.93%. The county’s seven-day antigen positivity rate is 7.08% while the number is 6.86% statewide.

Thursday’s COVID-19 Numbers

In a statement, Comal County Public Information Officer Cary Zayas said 118 new cases of the virus were reported today, and the county’s active case count is now 505.

The last time the county reported more than 500 active cases was Feb. 12.

Ninety-two of the new cases are confirmed and 26 are probable cases.

Of the 505 active, confirmed-and-probable cases, 21 residents are hospitalized. Total number of deceased remains 334.

Another 32 COVID-19 recoveries were reported, for a total of 11,210.

The TSA P percentage is 5.64%.

Also today, Comal County hospitals reported caring for 28 COVID-19 patients. Of those, 10 are in intensive care and six are on ventilators. Not all of these patients are necessarily county residents. Not all county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 are in Comal County hospitals.

Location Breakdown of New Cases

• New Braunfels – 60
• North of Canyon Lake – 15
• South of Canyon Lake – 20
• South Comal County (Garden Ridge) – 2
• Bulverde/Spring Branch – 20
• Fair Oaks – 1

Age Range of New Cases

• Under 20 – 19
• 20s – 21
• 30’s/40’s – 33
• 50s/60s – 37
• 70 and older – 8

Testing Information

As of this morning, Public Health reports

• 118,201 tests conducted
• 6,504 confirmed cases
• 5,521 probable cases
• 24 suspect cases

Location Breakdown of All Cases

Of the 12,409 confirmed-and-probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County, the location breakdown is:

• New Braunfels (includes Eastern and Central Comal) – 8,54 (complete figure not available)
• Western Comal County (includes Bulverde and Spring Branch) – 1,728
• South of Canyon Lake – 711
• North of Canyon Lake – 591
• Southern Comal County (includes Garden Ridge and Schertz) – 428
• Fair Oaks Ranch – 56

Vaccinations

Comal County’s Public Health Department is now administering Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to those 18 years and older on Fridays and Pfizer vaccines for anyone 12 years and older on Thursdays.

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.