Comal County hospitals reported no COVID-19 patients in their care Friday, a positive sign that the latest surge fueled by the omicron variant is running out of gas.
A facility reported that it cared for one hospitalized COVID patient earlier this week.
On Monday, according to state data, there were at least 1,169 hospitalized patients in Texas with confirmed coronavirus infections, down 256 patients compared to a week ago.
COVID-19 patients occupy 2% of total hospital beds statewide.
The county’s COVID-19 death toll rose to 546, with health officials reporting one fatality this week.
Officials confirmed the death of a New Braunfels man in his 70s on March 19 at home.
State officials reported 35 deaths on Tuesday, down 16 from the seven-day average a week ago. According to state data, 85,903 people who tested positive for the virus have died in Texas.
County health officials reported 70 new COVID-19 cases this week, down seven from the week before, bringing the total number in the county to 30,688 since the pandemic arrived locally in March 2020.
On Tuesday, officials reported 3,253 new cases statewide, bringing the seven-day average to 2,044, a decrease of 938 cases compared with the seven-day average a week ago.
According to state data, 64.08% of Comal County residents ages 5 and older are fully vaccinated. The statewide fully vaccinated rate stands at 64.64%.
In neighboring Guadalupe County, which includes part of the city of New Braunfels, the fully vaccinated rate stood at 57.64%.
About 43.2 million doses have been administered statewide, including booster shots. So far, 6.5 million Texans have received booster shots.
Comal County is transitioning from a daily COVID report to a weekly report.
The first weekly report will be published on April 8, containing data collected over seven days.
Residents wanting daily COVID data can find that information 24 hours a day on the public health web page at www.co.comal.tx.us.
The Herald-Zeitung will continue providing weekly updates online and in print. 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/.
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.
