COVID-19 level in Bexar County drops from “low” to “severe” and “worsens” within a month

SAINT ANTHONY – The COVID-19 risk level, which fell in the green zone of “low” in the months following the deployment of the vaccine, has now increased to “severe”.

And it’s listed as “aggravation”.

City officials are basing the level on hospital trends, average case rate, positivity rate, and hospital stress, as San Antonio and other parts of the United States are experiencing another wave of infections, many of them are the highly contagious delta variant.

As of Tuesday evening, Bexar County recorded a seven-day moving average of 1,146 new cases, an increase from 724 the previous week.

Authorities also reported 920 COVID-19 patients in hospital, an increase from 695 the previous week. About 260 patients are in the intensive care unit and 132 patients are on ventilators as of Tuesday.

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Data shows that as of Tuesday, 7% of staffed beds are available and 64% of fans are available.

Baptist Health System CEO Matthew Stone recently told KSAT that if hospitalizations continue to rise at this rate, they could surpass the high of more than 1,500 in January.

“And it will be – it will be a squeeze,” he said.

City spokeswoman Cleo Garcia said the city’s COVID-19 risk level was “low” before increasing to “slight” on July 6.

He was at this level for three weeks before switching to “moderate”. On Tuesday, the city classified the level of risk as “severe”.

Public officials and health experts have stepped up the urge to take greater health precautions while encouraging people to get vaccinated.

Dr Rogelio Saenz, professor of demography at UTSA’s College for Health, Community and Policy, said it’s likely San Antonio could experience another spike as children return to school.

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“(A spike) is probably the case indicated by public health experts, and it has a lot to do with the knowledge that specialists now realize with the delta variant… these particular variants are much, much more dangerous, they are much more. contagious, ”he said.

High infection levels and the delta variant caused the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reverse their course on mask warrants. Now, public health officials are advising people to wear masks indoors, regardless of their immunization status, in parts of the United States with at least 50 new cases per 100,000 people over the past week .

The masking tips will stay in place until the spread is under control, but experts say the easiest solution is to increase the arm strokes.

Saenz added that “one of the statistics that needs to be regularly, regularly repeated” is that the majority of people hospitalized or who have died from COVID-19 are not vaccinated.

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When unvaccinated people are on ventilators and are “on the brink of death,” he said, it is often too late.

In San Antonio, about 63.4% of those 12 or older, or about 1.05 million people, are fully immunized, as of July 28. About 76.8% of this age group, or 1.27 million people, received at least one dose of a vaccine.

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