Vaccinations at the City’s Alamodome-based mass vaccination hub resumed Wednesday after a delayed vaccine shipment caused appointments on Monday and Tuesday to be postponed. Meanwhile, the University Health System began inoculations for staff members of area school districts at risk of serious illness from COVID-19.
It was the first day of a local effort to immunize teachers and other education professionals against COVID-19. About 400 educators from several area school districts received the vaccine on Wednesday, weeks after many school campuses welcomed students back from the holiday break.
It couldn’t come at a more crucial time. Just this week, at least two COVID-19-caused deaths of local educators have come to light.
One of them inspired a viral tweet from someone who was once a colleague.
Some school districts are asking parents to consider pulling their children from in-person instruction in favor of remote learning at least until the current surge in cases slows down.
More than 1.1 million Bexar County residents are eligible to receive the COVID-19 vaccine under protocols set forth by the State of Texas, which devised priority groups 1A and 1B: frontline health care workers, nursing home residents, adults 65 and older, and adults 16 or older with underlying conditions.
Of the 235,400 doses allocated to Bexar County, 106,400 have been administered to a total of 86,536 residents, according to data on the Department of State Health Services website.
People ages 16 to 49 comprise a plurality – and very nearly a majority, at 48 percent – of those who have gotten their shot in Bexar County while residents age 80 or older represent just 5 percent of the total.
A relatively low 850 new cases of the coronavirus were reported on Wednesday, bringing the county’s seven-day average down to 1,966.
Fewer COVID-19 patients were in the hospital, too, a welcome sign after the area saw a record high number of hospitalizations on Tuesday.
But 18 more residents have succumbed to the disease, according to Wednesday’s report, bringing the local death toll to 1,840.
Here are the local coronavirus numbers as of 7 p.m. Wednesday:
- 153,081 total cases, 850 new cases
- 1,840 deaths, 18 new deaths
- 1,466 in hospital, 10% beds available
- 452 patients in intensive care
- 247 patients on ventilators, 49% ventilators available
- 86,536 residents vaccinated (at least one dose)
