The number of COVID-19-related deaths in Bexar County has reached 30, nearly half of which are linked to a nursing home at the center of an outbreak, Mayor Ron Nirenberg announced Sunday evening.
One of the three new deaths reported since Saturday is a resident of Southeast Nursing & Rehabilitation Center, where a total of 15 residents have now succumbed to the respiratory disease caused by the novel coronavirus.
On Sunday, local health officials also confirmed 772 positive cases of COVID-19. That total marks an increase of 49 cases since Saturday.
Close contact with an infected person was the most common cause of local contagion, accounting for 37% of local cases. Another 32% were through community spread, meaning it’s unclear how the sick person contracted the disease.
Health experts warn that a growing number of community-spread cases signifies a greater risk to the public than when contagion is largely through travel or close contact.
As of Wednesday evening, Metro Health had tested 4,338 people for COVID-19.
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This article appears in Apr 8-21, 2020.
