Fifty-Nine New COVID-19 Cases Reported in Comal County Friday

Comal County reported 59 new cases of COVID-19 today, and its positivity rate — the percentage of tests with a positive result –also rose to 15.75-percent, up from 15.49-percent on Thursday.

Two of the residents who tested positive live north of Canyon Lake and three are southside residents.

Of the new cases, 54 are confirmed and five are probable.

Forty-five are New Braunfels-area residents, six are from the Bulverde/Spring Branch area and three are from the Garden Ridge area. Eighteen of the new cases are reported in residents younger than 30. Seventeen are in their 30s or 40s, 18 are in their 50s or 60s, and six are older than 70.

The county also confirmed 63 more recoveries from COVID-19, for a total of 2,093. With 72 deaths, the county now has 467 active confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases. Of them, 74 are hospitalized.

On Friday morning, Comal County hospitals reported caring for 18 COVID-19 patients; of those, 10 are in intensive care beds, and seven 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 are reporting 61 active cases and new deaths as of Friday:

• Colonial Manor, New Braunfels: 25 cases (3 residents, 22 staff), 6 deaths
• Eden Hill, New Braunfels: 1 case (1 staff)
• Elan Westpointe, New Braunfels: 4 cases (1 resident, 3 staff)
• Kirkwood Manor, New Braunfels: 5 cases (4 residents, 1 staff)
• Legend Oaks, New Braunfels: 4 cases (4 residents) *
• Memory Care of New Braunfels: 2 cases (2 staff)
• Sodalis Elder Care, New Braunfels: 5 cases (4 residents, 1 staff) 3 deaths**
• Sundance Inn, New Braunfels: 2 cases (2 staff)
• Village of Garden Ridge: 8 cases (6 residents, 2 staff)
• Brookdale Senior Living, New Braunfels: 5 cases (4 residents, 1 staff)

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

**Case numbers from Sodalis Senior Living in New Braunfels may reflect non-county residents 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 Statistics

The Office of Public Health reports:

• 16,710 tests conducted
• 2,062 confirmed cases
• 570 probable cases

Location Breakdown

Of the 2,632 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County:

• 2,013 from the New Braunfels area, including eastern and central Comal County
• 360 from western Comal County, including Bulverde and Spring Branch
• 126 from south of Canyon Lake
• 70 from north of Canyon Lake, including Fischer
• 55 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.