The rate of positive results among those who were tested for the coronavirus in Bexar County last week was 2.6%, a decline of 3 percentage points and the lowest infection rate the county has seen since the metric first started being tracked.
The decline in the coronavirus positivity rate meant a revised assessment: the COVID-19 risk level has moved from mild to low in Bexar County, according to the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District.
Another factor in the lowering of the risk level is the county’s falling seven-day average of coronavirus cases. On Monday, the average dropped below 200 for the first time since Halloween. For the sake of simplicity, our line graph tracked the seven-day average even when it was not officially recorded by the City because the winter storm artificially lowered test data.
Tens of thousands of COVID-19 vaccine appointments are available on the City’s website – 40,000 to be exact, the largest number of vaccinations the City has made available at one time. The City is now receiving a weeks-long forecast of vaccine allocations, rather than being notified just days in advance of a shipment of doses.
“It looks like based on the conversations we should have reliable delivery of the vaccines continuously each week, and then hopefully eventually those allotments will be increased as well,” said Rita Espinoza, Metro’s Health chief of epidemiology.
Due to overwhelming demand, however, the page was prone to crashing Monday night. Espinoza suggested that residents check the website periodically.
“If 40,000 individuals go to the site all at the same time that will cause issues and concerns,” Espinoza said. “Trying to revisit periodically throughout the day and trying [for] several days hopefully will help alleviate that versus everyone going on the site, all at once.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Monday released a set of guidelines for fully vaccinated people. Those who are two weeks out from having had their final dose of the COVID-19 vaccine can:
- Visit indoors with other people who are fully vaccinated without wearing masks or staying 6 feet apart
- Visit with unvaccinated people from another household without wearing masks or keeping 6 feet of distance if everyone in the other household is at low risk for severe disease from COVID-19
- Forego quarantining and testing if they do not have COVID-19 symptoms after contact with someone who has COVID-19
Bexar County saw a total of 230 coronavirus cases reported Monday, bringing the seven-day average down to 193. There were no new deaths on Monday, and the local COVID-19 patient count fell below 300 for the first time since November.
Here are the local coronavirus numbers as of 7 p.m. Monday:
- 198,798 total cases, 230 new cases
- 2,847 deaths, no new deaths
- 282 in hospital, 14% beds available
- 122 patients in intensive care
- 69 patients on ventilators, 57% ventilators available
- 290,625 residents vaccinated (at least one dose)
