The San Antonio area reported 1,323 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, pushing its cumulative number of infections past 40,000. The same day, health officials reported five additional coronavirus-related deaths.
Bexar County has now tallied a total of 40,253 cases since the start of the pandemic, and the seven-day average of for positive diagnoses now tops 800 per day, according to health officials.
However, numbers posted by Metro Health show that hospitalizations continue to dwindle, dropping below 1,000 for the first time since late June.
As of Thursday, local hospitals were treating 965 COVID-19 patients, down from 1,007 the day before. Of those being treated Thursday, 380 were in intensive care and 250 were on ventilators, both lower numbers than the day before.
During a Thursday evening briefing, Mayor Ron Nirenberg showed cautious optimism about the hospitalization numbers. Still, he warned residents to continue physical distancing and wearing masks.
“There’s not a quick remedy,” he said. “We have to work together.”
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This article appears in Jul 29 – Aug 11, 2020.
