Bexar County continues to have more patients who have recovered from COVID-19 than sick patients, with 976 people fully recovered, Mayor Ron Nirenberg said during Sunday’s daily coronavirus briefing.
Fourteen new cases were reported on Sunday, bringing the total number of local cases to 1,901. No new deaths were reported.
Nirenberg took a moment during the COVID-19 update to wish a happy Mother’s Day to his mom, who he said had a heart attack last year and is considered a “person at risk” for COVID-19.
“Hopefully this will be a short-lived, strange Mother’s Day that we will remember” and not have to experience again, Nirenberg said of social distancing measures and safety protocols keeping visitors away from hospitals and nursing homes. “Moms raised us to expect the unexpected and to deal with the cards we are dealt.”
Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said the coronavirus pandemic also has pushed us to a “deeper understanding of human dynamics.”
“This is a good time for us to reflect on what we have learned during this time period about COVID-19 and ourselves,” Wolff said, which includes how we have learned about work, transportation, and interactions with others. “I think there are going to be some good changes. I am always one who likes to be optimistic.”
Wolff said his optimism comes following a weekend drive with his wife, Tracy, through The Rim shopping center in Northwest San Antonio, which saw plenty of shoppers as gyms and hair and nail salons have begun to open at 25 percent capacity, following Gov. Greg Abbott’s announcement last week.
“Two-thirds of our economy is from consumers,” Wolff said. “If they are out, it helps us get out of this [economic] tailspin” that has happened as a result of closing nonessential businesses.
While the local economy is worth supporting, Nirenberg said, it’s also important to continue to “be mindful” of safety measures people can abide by to keep COVID-19 numbers low, including social distancing and wearing masks when unable to maintain a reasonable distance from others.
In an effort to get a more accurate picture of the number of people infected with COVID-19 throughout Bexar County, free pop-up testing sites will continue to travel throughout the city, Nirenberg said.
A no-cost pop-up testing site will operate Monday by appointment at Bexar-Bulverde Fire Station 104, 23103 Bulverde Road. Call 512-883-2400 or register online to make an appointment.
Bexar County has administered nearly 31,000 coronavirus tests – 6.3 percent of which were positive test results, down from around 7 percent two weeks ago.
Bexar County is in good shape to continue to treat any new diagnoses, with only 37 patients currently in local intensive care units receiving treatment and 22 patients using ventilators as part of their treatment.
Nirenberg said another “good sign” for Bexar County is that no additional COVID-19 diagnoses were made among Bexar County Adult Detention Center inmates, where a total of 303 incarcerated people and 55 staff had tested positive for coronavirus as of Saturday night.
“We need to be mindful of [best] practices as we work to keep our numbers on a good track and continue to slow the spread,” Nirenberg said.
