COVID-19 Cases Explode in Comal Nursing Homes as Three More Deaths Reported
Share
Three more nursing home residents have died of COVID-19, Comal County said in a press release this morning.
Dead are
- A man in his 90s with underlying health conditions who died at Kirkwood Manor in New Braunfels on Saturday. A postmortem test was confirmed positive on Wednesday.
- A woman in her 90s with underlying health conditions died at Kirkwood Manor on Wednesday.
- A man in his 60s who lived at River Gardens died in a New Braunfels on Thursday.
The county also reported more bad news, 103 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases, bringing the tally to 1,245.
Of the new cases, 86 are confirmed and 17 are probable; 78 are New Braunfels-area residents, 13 are from the Bulverde/Spring Branch area, eight live south of Canyon Lake, three are from the Garden Ridge area, and one lives north of Canyon Lake. Twenty-nine are younger than 30, 33 are in their 30s or 40s, 32 are in their 50s or 60s, and nine are older than 70.
Comal County’s positivity rate – the percentage of tests with a positive result – is now 14.75%, up from 14.06% on Thursday and 12.67% one week ago.
Nursing Homes
The Office of Public Health today also released information it received from long-term residential care facilities in Comal County but warned these numbers might not be entirely included in the county’s overall numbers.
They could include staff members who reside in other counties and test results that have not yet been confirmed:
- River Gardens, New Braunfels: 80 cases (58 residents, 22 staff), 1 death, 2 hospitalized
- The Heights of Bulverde: 57 cases (33 residents, 24 staff), 6 deaths
- Kirkwood Manor, New Braunfels: 35 cases (32 residents, three staff), 3 deaths, 2 hospitalized
- Colonial Manor, New Braunfels: 32 cases (14 residents, 18 staff), 1 hospitalized
- Hope Hospice, New Braunfels: 7 cases, all staff
- Sundance Inn, New Braunfels: 3 cases, all staff
- EdenHill, New Braunfels: 2 cases, both hospice workers
- Legend Oaks, New Braunfels: 1 case, a resident who has died
- Elan Westpointe, New Braunfels: 1 case, staff
Residents and staff in nursing homes are among the hardest hit by COVID-19 and represent and outsize portion of deaths from the disease.
According to Modern Healthcare, residents and staff in nursing homes are among the hardest hit by COVID-19 and represent and outsize portion of deaths from the disease. They typically are older and require round-the-clock care, battling multiple chronic conditions.
To help support local nursing homes battling coronavirus outbreaks, the emergency management offices of Comal County and the City of New Braunfels have established a resource center at New Braunfels City Hall. Long-term residential health care facilities who need personal protective equipment and other resources can call 830-221-4618 to request them.
Today’s Numbers
The county also confirmed 15 more recoveries from COVID-19, for a total of 386. With 21 deaths, the county now has 838 active confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases. Of those, 44 are hospitalized, an increase of eight from Thursday.
As of Friday morning, Public Health has received reports of the following test information:
8,443 tests conducted
952 confirmed cases
293 probable cases
Location Breakdown
Of the 1,245 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County, the location breakdown is:
901 from the New Braunfels area, including eastern and central Comal County
217 from western Comal County, including Bulverde and Spring Branch
64 from south of Canyon Lake
31 from southern Comal County, including Garden Ridge and Schertz
27 from north of Canyon Lake, including Fischer
5 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
