SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s Note: Watch the entire briefing in the video player above. Newsletter recipients can click here to access the video.
The novel coronavirus continued its spread through San Antonio as officials announced 176 new COVID-19 cases on Monday.
The additional cases brings Bexar County’s cumulative total to 42,959 cases. Officials estimate more than 33,000 people have recovered from the virus so far. The seven-day average of new cases is declining at 256 cases per day.
San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg also confirmed 10 new COVID-19 deaths, bringing the death toll to 455.
Officials reported 725 Bexar County residents are hospitalized due to COVID-19, down 14 from Sunday. Of those patients, 305 are in the intensive care unit and 216 patients are on ventilators.
Numbers released by city officials indicate that 15% of staffed hospital beds and 50% of ventilators are available in Bexar County. Despite the positive trend, hospitals remain under severe stress, Nirenberg said.
Going forward, Nirenberg said the city would also report potential COVID-19 deaths that are under investigation. The statistic will be updated regularly after the state’s health agency began reporting COVID-19 deaths without waiting for local health authorities to verify the deaths first.
As of Monday, 327 deaths are under investigation, Nirenberg said.
Nirenberg said the area’s overall COVID-19 risk level is steady, with a positivity rate of 12.7%.
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