Spring Branch Woman in Her 20s Died of COVID-19 in January

A Spring Branch woman in her 20s who passed away in a San Antonio hospital Jan. 4 is the youngest Comal County resident to die from COVID-19.

The county’s Public Health Department confirmed the death today. The woman is the first resident in their 20s to die from the coronavirus. Thirty-one-year-old Canyon Lake resident Roger Dean, a Seguin firefighter, died April 23 at a Houston hospital.

The total number of deceased is now 321.

Comal County reported 15 additional cases of COVID-19. Fourteen are new cases and one is a backlogged case added to the database. Nine are confirmed and six are probable cases.

There are now 278 active, confirmed-and-probable cases of the virus in Comal County. Of those, nine are hospitalized.

Another 29 COVID-19 recoveries were reported. The total recovered is 10,151.

The seven-day molecular positivity rate for Thursday is 4.89%. The seven-day antigen positivity rate is 3.56%. The Trauma Service Area (TSA) P percentage is 2.99%.

On Thursday, Comal County hospitals reported caring for 17 COVID-19 patients. Of those, seven are in intensive care and four 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 – 10
• North of Canyon Lake – 0
• South of Canyon Lake – 2
• South Comal County (Garden Ridge) – 2
• Bulverde/Spring Branch – 1
• Fair Oaks – 0

Age Range of New Cases

• Under 20 – 4
• 20s – 1
• 30’s/40’s – 7
• 50s/60s – 2
• 70 and older -1

Testing Information

As of Thursday morning, Public Health reports

• 95,912 tests conducted
• 5,740 confirmed cases
• 4,986 probable cases
• 24 suspect cases

Location Breakdown of All Cases

Of the 10,750 confirmed-and-probable COVID-19 cases, the location breakdown is:

• New Braunfels (includes Eastern and Central Comal) – 7,628
• Western Comal County (includes Bulverde and Spring Branch) – 1,567
• South of Canyon Lake – 611
• North of Canyon Lake – 508
• Southern Comal County (includes Garden Ridge and Schertz) –383
• Fair Oaks Ranch – 53

Vaccines

The Public Health Department administers the Moderna vaccine, which is used for those 18 years-of-age and older. Vaccines will be distributed to the public as they are received by Comal County and according to all state distribution guidelines.

To schedule a vaccine, call Public health at 830-221-1150.

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.