SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County COVID-19 cases are trending upwards again, though hospitalizations are staying relatively steady.
The seven-day average for newly reported cases on Wednesday was up to 241 compared to 69 on April 1.
San Antonio Metropolitan Health District Chief of Epidemiology Rita Espinoza acknowledged the prevalence of home COVID-19 tests, which are not reflected in Metro Health’s data, means the actual case count could possibly be higher.
However, she noted hospitalizations are “pretty steady.” As of Wednesday, there were only 79 recorded COVID-19 hospitalizations, though they had hit 90 on May 17.
“I think the reasons we’re not seeing as much hospitalizations is because we have a lot more individuals vaccinated,” said Espinoza. “We have more individuals also boosted, although we still want to remind individuals it’s not too late to get that booster.”
In Bexar County, 76.5% of people 5 years or older are fully vaccinated, though Espinoza said children ages 5-11 are lagging.
The county’s hospitalizations peaked at 1,520 in January 2021, while the Omicron variant pushed the 7-day average case count to 6,186 in January 2022.
Espinoza said there’s still time for people who haven’t gotten a booster shot to get one.
However, she said vaccination is just one tool for slowing the spread of cases, along with avoiding large crowds and using masks, especially for people with underlying medical conditions.
“If you’re worried, you know, you’re concerned, you know, please go ahead and do everything you can do to protect yourself and your loved ones,” Espinoza said.