The Federal Drug Administration is expected to approve new single-dose COVID-19 boosters on Friday, according to NBC News. Credit: Courtesy Photo / City of San Antonio

The number of San Antonians in the hospital to treat COVID-19 has dropped by 244 since the city tallied a record high 10 days ago.

As of Thursday, 1,276 people were in Bexar County hospitals to treat COVID-19 infections, 387 of those in intensive care and 249 on ventilators. That’s down from the January 18 peak of 1,520.

Local officials also reported 1,752 new COVID-19 cases Thursday and 20 new deaths over the past 14 days. The San Antonio area surpassed 2,000 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday with 500 of those fatalities reported since Jan. 1.

Local health officials attributed the spike in hospitalizations and mounting death toll to gatherings over the holidays.

The local falloff in hospitalizations mirrors a state trend. On Thursday, 12,380 patients were hospitalized in Texas, down from a mid-January high.

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This article appears in Jan 27 – Feb 9, 2021.

Sanford Nowlin is editor-in-chief of the San Antonio Current. He holds degrees from Trinity University and the University of Texas at San Antonio, and his work has been featured in Salon, Alternet, Creative...