Two Comal County Women Die of COVID-19, Active Cases Now at 1,306
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A New Braunfels woman in her 20s and a Spring Branch woman in her 50s are Comal County’s latest COVID-19 fatalities.
The New Braunfels woman passed away on July 29 at a San Antonio hospital. The Spring Branch woman died on Aug. 3 at a San Antonio hospital.
The total number of deceased is now 348.
In a statement Thursday, the county also reported 94 new cases of the virus, 49 of them confirmed and 45 of them probable.
There are now 1,306 active, confirmed-and-probable cases of COVID-19 in the county. Of those, 45 are hospitalized.
Another 152 COVID-19 recoveries were reported today, for a total of 12,149.
County hospitals are now caring for 89 COVID-19 patients. Of those, 16 are in intensive care, and eight are on ventilators. Not all patients in Comal County hospitals are necessarily county residents. Not all county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 are in Comal County hospitals.
Approximately 97% of these patients are unvaccinated.
“We have started collecting that data to kind of give people a picture of what we’re seeing,” County Public Health Director Cheryl Fraser told Commissioners Court Thursday.
County Public Information Officer Cary Zayas said the seven-day molecular positivity rate for Thursday is 13.14%, and the seven-day antigen positivity rate is 13.90%. The TSA P percentage is 18.24%.
Fraser said Texas’ molecular positivity rate is 18.68% and the antigen positivity rate is 7.54%.
Some 55.08% of Comal County residents are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 compared to 53.55% statewide.
The county is vaccinating around 50 people a week now compared to the 2,000-per-day it vaccinated during mass-vaccination clinics at the New Braunfels Civic/Convention Center earlier this year, she said.
The county is offering Pfizer vaccines to students who visit the Health Department for their regular back-to-school vaccinations.
Meanwhile, Fraser told unmasked county commissioners the county recommends wearing masks, social distancing, using good hand hygiene and staying home when sick to protect themselves and others from COVID-19.
Location Breakdown of New Cases
- New Braunfels – 69
- North of Canyon Lake – 3
- South of Canyon Lake – 5
- South Comal County (Garden Ridge) – 2
- Bulverde/Spring Branch – 15
- Fair Oaks – 0
Age Range of New Cases
- Under 20 – 18
- 20s – 23
- 30’s/40’s – 24
- 50s/60s – 22
- 70 and older – 7
Testing Information
As of Thursday morning, Public Health reports
- 132,700 tests conducted
- 7,581 confirmed cases
- 6,198 probable cases
- 24 suspect cases
Location Breakdown of All Cases
Of the 13,803 confirmed-and-probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County, the location breakdown is:
- New Braunfels (includes Eastern and Central Comal) – 9,663
- Western Comal County (includes Bulverde and Spring Branch) – 2,015
- South of Canyon Lake – 871
- North of Canyon Lake – 720
- Southern Comal County (includes Garden Ridge and Schertz) – 474
- Fair Oaks Ranch – 60
Vaccinations
Comal County’s Public Health Department is now administering Moderna COVID-19 vaccines to those 18 years and older and Pfizer vaccines for anyone 12 years and older.
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.
