San Antonio-area COVID-19 hospitalizations surge as state blows past record set in July
- Wikimedia Commons / Texas National Guard
- A patient recieves a nasopharygeal swab as part of a COVID-19 screening at a community based testing facility in Texas.
Bexar County coronavirus hospitalizations hit 1,116 Tuesday, reaching their highest number since the surge that gripped San Antonio this summer.
The escalating demand on local hospitals comes as Texas reached a new peak in COVID-19 hospitalizations Monday, obliterating a previous record set in July. At least 11,351 people were hospitalized statewide with the ailment. That compares to the record of 10,893 set on July 22.
Bexar County hospitalizations have nearly doubled since the beginning of the month, when just 593 people being treated for COVID-19 in medical facilities.
The current surge follows travel and family gatherings over the Thanksgiving holiday, and local officials warn that the aftereffects of Christmas are likely to tip the county into a new record for hospitalizations. The previous record of 1,267 was set on July 13.
“It looks pretty clear we’re going to go beyond that,” Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said during Tuesday evening press briefing.
As of Tuesday, 314 of Bexar County patients are in intensive care and 170 are on ventilators. The influx of new patients leaves 13% of staffed beds and 52% of ventilators available.
Metro Health reported 975 new COVID-19 cases Tuesday and 11 additional deaths. Officials also tallied 1,126 new cases from Monday, saying that a delay in receiving test results from the state yielded a false low for the day.
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