Two COVID-19 Deaths, 36 New Cases Reported in Comal County Thursday
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A New Braunfels woman in her 90s died at home of COVID-19 on Monday, Comal County said in a statement today.
A New Braunfels man in his 80s also passed away from the virus. He died in a New Braunfels hospital on July 2.
The total number of deceased is now 331.
Also today, July 15, Comal County reported 36 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the county total to 11,695. Nineteen are confirmed and 17 are probable cases.
There are now 327 active, confirmed-and-probable cases in the county. Of those, 21 are hospitalized.
Thirty-three recoveries were added today, for a total of 11,037.
“COVID-19 numbers, including hospitalizations, are climbing again and patients are younger then we have seen in the past,” said Public Health Director Cheryl Fraser. “I would encourage everyone who has not received a COVID-19 vaccine to get vaccinated.”
The seven-day molecular positivity rate for Thursday is 5.85%. The seven-day antigen positivity rate is 6.84%. The TSA P percentage is 3.87%.
On Thursday, Comal County hospitals reported caring for 24 COVID-19 patients. Of those, five are in intensive care and one is on a ventilator. 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 – 29
- North of Canyon Lake – 2
- South of Canyon Lake – 1
- South Comal County (Garden Ridge) – 3
- Bulverde/Spring Branch – 1
- Fair Oaks – 0
Age Range of New Cases
- Under 20 – 8
- 20s – 7
- 30’s/40’s – 11
- 50s/60s – 9
- 70 and older – 1
Testing Information
As of Thursday morning, Public Health reports
- 116,039 tests conducted
- 6,262 confirmed cases
- 5,409 probable cases
- 24 suspect cases
Location Breakdown of All Cases
Of the 11,695 confirmed-and-probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County, the location breakdown is:
- New Braunfels (includes Eastern and Central Comal) – 8,310
- Western Comal County (includes Bulverde and Spring Branch) – 1,675
- South of Canyon Lake – 668
- North of Canyon Lake – 567
- Southern Comal County (includes Garden Ridge and Schertz) – 420
- Fair Oaks Ranch – 55
Vaccinations
Comal County’s Public Health Department is now administering Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to those 18 years and older on Fridays and Pfizer vaccines for anyone 12 years and older on Thursdays.
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.
