The number of coronavirus cases in Bexar County surpassed 6,000 Saturday, with 382 new cases bringing the total to 6,344. No new deaths were reported, leaving the total at 96. Recoveries numbered 2,523.
The rate of negative tests stands at 92.3 percent for Bexar County, or 100,130 tests from a total of 108,492 tests. The positive rate for coronavirus stands at 7.6 percent, though not all positive cases result in COVID-19.
More than 25 percent of positive tests are from the 20 to 29 age group, with 10 percent from age 0 to 19. Fifty-five percent of all positive test results are from residents age 39 or under.
Local health care systems reported 336 COVID-19 patients, with 111 in intensive care and 49 requiring ventilators.
The surge in cases has caused the Freeman Coliseum free testing site to reach capacity through June 23. While the registration system has been shut down for the weekend, anyone interested in being tested for coronavirus may register beginning Monday for an appointment later in the week.
Other testing sites remain open for testing, with information available here. Bexar County has increased its capacity for tests to 5,200 per day.
Walk-up testing will be available Mondays through Saturdays at various pop-up locations around the city. June 22 to 24, Jordan Middle School will host walk-up tests from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Though City-administered tests are free, San Antonio Metro Health Director Dawn Emerick urged those with health insurance to go through their health care providers for tests, “and save the free tests for those who do not have coverage.”
Emerick also recommended that anyone experiencing symptoms should self-isolate and wear a mask if they come into contact with anyone else until they can be tested.
Close contact communities such as prisons and nursing homes have proven especially susceptible to the spread of coronavirus. The west campus of the Blue Skies of Texas retirement community near Medina Valley reported that a floor charge nurse tested positive for coronavirus on June 19. The nurse was last at work on June 18.
The facility is working with Metro Health on contact tracing, and currently plans to test all residents on July 1. They were last tested on May 29 with no positive results.
This is the second positive case among employees at the retirement community; earlier this week, a food service employee who did not have contact with residents also tested positive. As a result, CEO Darrell Jones has decided to close the Westside Blue Skies of Texas community starting Monday to all visitors, after having reopened earlier this month.
Business Reporter Shari Biediger contributed to this report.
