Two Infants Among 26 Residents Under the Age of 20 Reported with COVID-19 in Comal County

Twenty-six Comal County residents under the age of 20, including two infants, tested positive for COVID-19 the county reported today.

Today’s figures also include 82 new cases of the virus, 58 of them confirmed and 24 probable. The total number of cases reported since March 2020 now stands at 15,400. Another 111 recoveries were added, for a total of 13,538.

In a statement Friday, Public Information Officer Cary Zayas said county hospitals are caring for 81 COVID-19 patients. Twenty-three are in intensive care and 20 are on ventilators.

There are currently 1,494 active, confirmed-and-probable cases in the county. Of those, 30 residents are hospitalized.

Approximately 98% of these patients are unvaccinated.

“The hospitals are finding that most of the COVID patients are unvaccinated and very ill,” Public Health Director Cheryl Fraser said Monday. “This puts a real burden on an already strained and understaffed healthcare system.”

Not all patients in Comal County hospitals are necessarily county residents. Not all county residents hospitalized with COVID-19 are in Comal County hospitals.

The seven-day molecular positivity rate  is 19.01%, and the seven-day antigen positivity rate is 8.91%. The TSA P percentage is 20.3%.

Location Breakdown of New Cases

• New Braunfels – 59
• North of Canyon Lake – 4
• South of Canyon Lake – 4
• South Comal County (Garden Ridge) – 2
• Bulverde/Spring Branch – 13
• Fair Oaks – 0

Age Range of New Cases

• Under 20 – 26 (includes two infants under 12 months of age)
• 20s – 12
• 30’s/40’s – 22
• 50s/60s – 18
• 70 and older – 4

Testing Information

As of Friday morning, Public Health reports

• 144,863 tests conducted
• 8,654 confirmed cases
• 6,772 probable cases
• 24 suspect cases

Location Breakdown of All Cases

Of the 15,400 confirmed-and-probable COVID-19 cases in Comal County, the location breakdown is:

• New Braunfels (includes Eastern and Central Comal) – 10,661
• Western Comal County (includes Bulverde and Spring Branch) – 2,302
• South of Canyon Lake – 1,007
• North of Canyon Lake – 834
• Southern Comal County (includes Garden Ridge and Schertz) – 527
• Fair Oaks Ranch – 69

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.

The Pfizer vaccine is now fully approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Anyone who hasn’t received the Moderna vaccine can ask to receive the Pfizer shot.

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.