Local hospitalizations fell on Tuesday from the previous day, but Comal County health officials added two COVID-19 deaths to its fatality count.
Officials confirmed the deaths of a New Braunfels man in his 60s on Feb. 2 at a San Antonio hospital and a New Braunfels woman in her 60s on Feb. 11 at a local hospital, bringing the number of fatalities to 518 since the pandemic arrived in March 2020.
County officials have reported 19 fatalities this month.
On Monday, state officials reported 42 deaths. According to state data, 81,030 people who tested positive for the virus have died in Texas.
Local hospitalizations fell, with facilities in Comal County caring for 34 patients, down seven from the previous day and two a week ago, with nine in intensive care and five on ventilators.
According to county officials, about 73% of those patients were unvaccinated.
Not all patients hospitalized in Comal County are necessarily county residents.
The regional hospitalization rate, which covers the 22-county area that includes both Comal and Guadalupe counties, stood at 11.8%, a figure that has steadily declined over the past couple of weeks.
On Sunday, there were at least 7,479 hospitalized patients in Texas with confirmed coronavirus infections, according to state data, down 2,180 patients compared to a week ago.
COVID-19 patients occupy 12% of total hospital beds statewide.
County health officials reported 146 new COVID-19 cases, bringing the total number in the county to 29,625 since the pandemic arrived locally in March 2020.
On Monday, officials reported 6,358 new cases statewide, bringing the seven-day average to 11,600, a decrease of 11,862 cases compared with the seven-day average a week ago.
According to state data, 63.37% of Comal County residents ages 5 and older are fully vaccinated. The statewide fully vaccinated rate is 63.41%.
In neighboring Guadalupe County, which includes part of the city of New Braunfels, the fully vaccinated rate stood at 57.02%.
About 42.1 million doses have been administered statewide, including booster shots. So far, 6.1 million Texans have received booster shots.
The county’s health department administers the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine for those 18 and older and Pfizer vaccine for anyone five years and older by appointment. The health department is also offering COVID-19 booster vaccines to residents by appointment. Appointments can be made by calling 830-221-1150.
To find other locations where vaccines are available for both adults and children, the CDC has set up a national vaccine finder to search by zip code at www.vaccines.gov.
COVID-19 testing conducted by Curative continues in the parking lot of New Braunfels City Hall at 550 Landa St.
Residents should check availability and book appointments online at https://curative.com/.
Curative offers a modified version of the PCR test, allowing those being tested to administer their own swabs.
Tests are available at no cost to patients and are open to the public, regardless of which city or county a person resides.
Residents needing a COVID-19 test can also call their primary care physician or visit a local pharmacy, such as Walgreens or CVS.
For testing locations across the area, visit the Texas Division of Emergency Management website at meds.tdem.texas.gov.
The Texas Tribune contributed to this story.
