Labor Day weekend
SAN ANTONIO – Ahead of Labor Day weekend, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg on Thursday urged residents to remain vigilant and take precautions to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
“Remember again that the choices that you make over this holiday weekend will determine how much longer this surge of COVID-19 lasts,” Nirenberg said. “So please do your part to help us contain this virus.”
Nirenberg recommended that families have individually packaged meals and snacks at gatherings to reduce the chances of infection.
“Regardless of your vaccination status, mask up around others, wearing a mask is still the easiest thing to do for anyone to slow the spread fo this virus,” Nirenberg said.
Officials said no curfew will be imposed over the holiday weekend.
See today’s COVID-19 numbers and what to know about the latest rise in San Antonio and surrounding areas here.
Hospital admissions are still high
Though overall hospitalizations have decreased, Nirenberg said there were still 195 new COVID-19 hospital admissions over the past 24 hours. Nirenberg said admissions have been “staying near those record numbers each day.”
Roughly 85% of those hospitalized are unvaccinated, Nirenberg said.
Part of the decrease in hospitalizations is due to the increased use of monoclonal antibody treatments like Regeneron, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said.
“Until the incoming patients start really dramatically going down, I think we still have a problem,” Wolff said.
Hospitals have also tried to bring certain medical services to patients at their home to cut down on admissions.
Flu season
Flu season is right around the corner, kicking off on Oct. 1. With COVID-19 cases still surging, officials recommended families get their flu shots as soon as possible to reduce their chances of getting sick.
“Don’t wait for a high number of (flu) cases in the community. The best time to get vaccinated is before the cases come,” said Dr. Anita Kurian, assistant director of Metro Health.
Kurian said the city will begin receiving shipments of the flu vaccine toward the end of August and begin administering it in September. Other medical providers may have already started offering the flu shot, Kurian said.
If flu cases rise, experts worry about a potential “triple threat” amid the pandemic with COVID-19, the flu, and RSV.
MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT