San Antonio and Bexar County officials came together Friday afternoon to update the public about the current status of COVID-19 in our area amid a continuous surge of cases and a third consecutive week at the “severe” risk level.

As the City of San Antonio and Bexar County continues to respond to the rising surge of new COVID-19 cases being reported daily, as well as an increase in demand for testing and an increase in hospitalizations, City and County officials will provide an update on efforts to stop the spread of the coronavirus to help keep residents safe.

As hospitals fill up with more COVID-19 patients, they’re requesting that ambulances take patients elsewhere. But they’re also frequently being told that’s not possible.

SAN ANTONIO – Last week’s winter storm in San Antonio forced dialysis patients to play a dangerous waiting game, putting them at risk. Not only were many unable to travel roads coated by ice, but dialysis centers had to contend with power issues and low water pressure. However, STRAC, the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, reports 63 of 70 dialysis centers in its region, including San Antonio, are now open as of Friday. Epley said the dialysis centers overall have been doing a good job calling their patients to set up appointments as soon as possible. The goal was to provide enough care that they survive,” by reducing the toxins, fluids and potassium in the body.”

SAN ANTONIO – Neptor Gudiel is struggling to keep his restaurant, Machu Picchu Peruvian Grill, alive as COVID-19 cases continue to spike in the Alamo City. Gudiel was forced to reduce his staff of five to just him and one other person, and he’s cut back on the hours of operation. To keep up with social distancing guidelines within his small business, Gudiel has limited the number of occupants to 12. Eric Epley, executive director of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council, said hospital numbers in Bexar County are on the rise and aren’t slowing down. “My sense is that we will continue to see a steady climb of all the numbers,” Epley said.

SAN ANTONIO – COVID-19 hospitalizations continue to climb in Bexar County, reaching 663 Wednesday night, but the head of the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council says the county still isn’t in dire straits. If beds get scarce, nurses and respiratory therapists can be brought on through a state contract to create more staffed beds in hospitals. As of Wednesday night, 10% of staffed beds were available in Bexar County hospitals. “It creates a problem for someone who could have a medical emergency but doesn’t have COVID, and there’s simply no room at the inn.”STRAC oversees the regional emergency health system for a 22-county area. Epley says the area around Bexar County is seeing similar trends at its hospitals.

SAN ANTONIO – The United States may be seeing a spike overall in COVID-19 cases, but it hasn’t been reflected in Bexar County numbers. While Bexar County case numbers have seen a increase in the past two weeks, though, it has been far from a spike. But you need only look at places like El Paso to see how much worse things could be. 18 deaths, 1,300 new COVID-19 cases, and 123 delayed test results by the State are being reported this morning for a cumulative total of 59,852 cases, 23,702 active cases, and 657 deaths. RELATED: Judge upholds El Paso business restrictions amid virus surge

SAN ANTONIO – A statewide effort to ease the burden on intensive care units in El Paso, currently overwhelmed by COVID-19 cases, is being coordinated by the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC). Eric Epley, executive director of STRAC, is coordinating what’s known as “load balancing” to free up beds for incoming patients. Six other El Paso patients were ready to fly out of area hospitals, Epley said, until the border community was hit by snow and ice. “We expect that to clear, and then we’ll start moving those patients again to all parts of Texas,” Epley said. “There is an old saying that many hands makes light work.”Epley said it’s difficult to say how long patients will need to be transferred.

BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – Bexar County commissioners approved a new program on Thursday to help respond better to mental health calls. The program’s announcement follows the killing of Damian Lamar Daniels last month, which Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff has said should have never happened. Under the plan commissioners passed Thursday morning, mental health calls could be routed to a new, still unnamed mental health unit. The unit would generally respond with paramedics and mental health professionals or perhaps even handle the issue over the phone. The new unit would respond to calls in unincorporated Bexar County.

SAN ANTONIO San Antonio hospitals are doing everything they can to make more beds available to patients who need them. On Monday, the amount of available staffed hospital beds, which is also known as hospital capacity, was listed at 12%. Epley said its better for hospitals to build capacity within their own walls rather than create makeshift hospitals. For example, instead of using Freeman Coliseum as an overflow hospital, hospitals would be better off adding beds to their cafeterias. If hospitals reach their limit, it doesnt impact only COVID-19 patients.

San Antonio – The surge of COVID-19 cases in San Antonio and Bexar County is causing concerns for hospitalization spikes in surrounding communities. Zamora said a patient looking to be transferred to a San Antonio hospital was turned away earlier this week. “We had a scare where we couldn’t ship someone to a San Antonio hospital,” he said. Eric Epley, the Southwest Texas Advisory Council executive director, said San Antonio hospitals are stressed. San Antonio, he said, still has about a 20-25% ICU capacity, but the problems isn’t beds.