Thursday: Comal County Reports 71 New COVID-19 Cases, TSA P at 17.46%
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Comal County reported 71 new cases of COVID-19 today, 11 confirmed and 60 probable.
There are now 681 active, confirmed-and-probable cases of COVID-19 in the county. Of those, 53 are hospitalized, county Public Information Officer Cary Zayas said in a statement.
The seven-day molecular positivity rate is 21.16%. The seven-day antigen positivity rate is 19.24%.
On Thursday, Comal County hospitals reported caring for 82 COVID-19 patients. Of those, 21 are in intensive care and 13 are on ventilators. Not all of these patients are necessarily county residents. Not all county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 are in county hospitals.
Another 69 COVID-19 recoveries were reported, for a total of 5,409.
The percentage for Texas Trauma Service Area (TSA) P, which includes Comal County, is 17.46%. County bars closed and businesses were ordered to operate at 50-percent capacity on Dec. 28 after hospitalization rates exceeded 15-percent or more of total hospital capacity with COVID-19 for seven consecutive days.
These restrictions will remain in place until TSA P reports seven consecutive days at 15% or less.
Location Breakdown of New Cases
New Braunfels – 61
North of Canyon Lake – 1
South of Canyon Lake – 4
S. Comal County (Garden Ridge) – 0
Bulverde/Spring Branch – 5
Fair Oaks – 0
Age Range of New Cases
Under 20 – 3
20’s – 4
30’s/40’s – 15
50s/60s – 17
70 and older – 32
Testing Information
As of Thursday morning, Public Health reports
- 43,019 tests conducted
- 3,889 confirmed cases
- 2,340 probable cases
- 9 suspect cases
Location Breakdown of All Cases
Of the 6,248 confirmed-and-probable COVID-19 cases, the location breakdown is:
New Braunfels (includes Eastern and Central Comal) – 4,538
Western Comal County (includes Bulverde and Spring Branch) – 918
South of Canyon Lake – 342
North of Canyon Lake – 243
Southern Comal County (includes Garden Ridge and Schertz) – 184
Fair Oaks Ranch – 23
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 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 towards the total case tally. Supportive laboratory evidence means:
- Detection of specific antibody in serum, plasma or whole blood.
- Detection of specific antigen by immunocytochemistry in an autopsy specimen.
