SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s Note: Watch the entire briefing in the video player above. Newsletter recipients can click here to access the video.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Friday night. See the full video in the player above.
Here are a few of the highlights:
- Nirenberg reported 1,835 COVID-19 cases and 56 deaths in Bexar County, as of Friday. Two new cases were confirmed at the Bexar County Jail and 24 in the community. He said 927 patients have recovered.
- City officials also reported that 63 patients are hospitalized, 33 are in the intensive care unit and 21 are on ventilators.
- Nirenberg said the county has reached a COVID-19 recovery milestone, with 51% of total cases now recovered. He also cautioned younger people to take the disease seriously after pointing out that 45% of local positive cases are related to people under 40 years old.
- Nirenberg said the new walk-up testing sites saw very strong, steady lines throughout the day on Friday. Dr. Junda Woo, medical director of the Metropolitan Health District, said Metro Health is looking at several different locations for next week’s walk-up sites. She said they also hope to make the waiting process more comfortable for people as temperatures rise.
- Wolff said the Commissioners Court may take action next Thursday on the issue of voting amid the pandemic.
- Nirenberg said almost 2,300 tests have been administered in congregate settings throughout the area. He said eight residents and six staff members at Rio at Mission Trails have tested positive for the virus, and all of them have been moved out of the facility. He also said the River City Rehabilitation Center has 14 patients.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new virus, stands for coronavirus disease 2019. The disease first appeared in late December 2019 in Wuhan, China, but spread around the world in early 2020, causing the World Health Organization to declare a pandemic in March. The first case confirmed in the U.S. was in mid-January and the first case confirmed in San Antonio was in mid-February.
Read Bexar County’s updated executive order below. Newsletter recipients: Click here to read the order.
Read San Antonio’s updated executive order below. Newsletter recipients: Click here to read the order.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT:
