Heights of Bulverde Resident Is County’s 30th COVID-19 Death; Colonial Manor Asks for State’s Help

Another nursing home resident has died of COVID-19, Comal County said today.

In a statement, the county also reported 73 new cases of the disease for a total of 1,422.

There are now 30 deaths from COVID-19 reported in the county. The positivity rate is now 16.05 percent, up from 15.44 percent on Tuesday and 13.64 percent one week ago.

The Heights of Bulverde resident, a woman in her 70s with underlying medical conditions, died Sunday in a New Braunfels hospital. This was the seventh death among residents of that nursing home. At Colonial Manor’s request, Comal County’s new nursing home resource center has asked for a quick response force through the Texas Division of Emergency Management and Texas Department of State Health Services to test all residents and staff at the facility.

Of the new cases, 60 are confirmed and 13 are probable; 56 are New Braunfels-area residents, seven are from the Bulverde/Spring Branch area, four live south of Canyon Lake, three live north of Canyon Lake, and three are from the Garden Ridge area.

Twenty-one are younger than 30, 19 are in their 30s or 40s, 27 are in their 50s or 60s, and six are older than 70.

Nursing Home Update

The following long-term care facilities have reported case information to the Comal County Office of Public Health, including the date of their last report:

• River Gardens, New Braunfels (Friday): 80 cases (58 residents, 22 staff), 1 death, 3 hospitalized
• Colonial Manor, New Braunfels (Tuesday): 60 cases (34 residents, 26 staff), 5 hospitalized
• The Heights of Bulverde (Friday): 57 cases (33 residents, 24 staff), 7 deaths
• Kirkwood Manor, New Braunfels (Tuesday): 57 cases (37 residents, 20 staff), 7 deaths, 3 hospitalized
• Legend Oaks, New Braunfels (Tuesday): 3 cases (1 resident, 2 staff), 1 death
• Sundance Inn, New Braunfels (Friday): 3 cases (staff)
• EdenHill, New Braunfels (Friday): 2 cases, both hospice workers
• Elan Westpointe, New Braunfels (Tuesday): 1 case (staff)

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.

Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan “fact” tank that conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, content analysis and other data-driven social science research reported today that residents and staff at long-term care facilities make up nearly 45-percent of U.S. coronavirus-related deaths.

“What we’ve done in testing in nursing homes and assisted living is a total disaster,” said Brian Lee, director of Families for Better Care, a nursing-home advocacy group.”

To read more, click here.

Wednesday’s Statistics

The county also confirmed 39 more recoveries from COVID-19, for a total of 516. With 30 deaths, the county now has 876 active confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases. Of those, 55 are hospitalized, an increase of six.

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

• 8,862 tests conducted
• 1,077 confirmed cases
• 345 probable cases

Location Breakdown

Of the 1,422 confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County, the location breakdown is:

• 1,039 from the New Braunfels area, including eastern and central Comal County
• 231 from western Comal County, including Bulverde and Spring Branch
• 76 from south of Canyon Lake
• 36 from north of Canyon Lake, including Fischer
• 35 from southern Comal County, including Garden Ridge and Schertz
• 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

A probable case is treated identically to a confirmed case and counts toward the county’s positivity rate and total case tally.