by Anita Miller
HAYS COUNTY — Hays County saw a post-Thanksgiving spike in COVID-19 infections, with 1,236 of the 7,812 cases diagnosed since March 13 coming over the course of the last 30 days, epidemiologist Eric Schneider told the commissioners court on Tuesday, Dec. 8.
The virus has claimed the lives of 106 county residents and the county’s hospitals, hospital staff and ICUs are starting to feel the strain, commissioners heard in comments from various officials.
“We have had requests for support staffing in hospitals,” county chief of staff Alex Villalobos said. “We can have beds but not staff.”
In an exchange with Pct. 4 Commissioner Walt Smith, Villalobos noted that some staff shortages may reflect the fact that early in the pandemic, some hospitals were letting staff go. “People weren’t going to the ER,” he said. “People weren’t going to the hospital for other procedures,” he said.
As has been true all along, the 20-29 age group has had the highest number of infections, but that infections in the 10 to 19 year age group are increasing, Villalobos said. With the exception of one person in their 40s, all of the fatalities have been in people over the age of 50, with those 80 or above hit the hardest with 45 deaths. He noted that the 4% positivity rate at Texas State University is lower than that of the population, which stands at 9%.
Of the post-Thanksgiving spike, Schneider said it has mostly occurred in the Dripping Springs, Buda and Kyle areas. He said some of it is being attributed to family gatherings, but added that the number of tests being conducted has also grown. An average of around 20 new cases a day were being seen at the beginning of November, he said, compared to an average of around 65 in recent days.
The county has also been putting on social media messages encouraging people to stay home at Christmas “and stay safe.”
Regarding hospitalizations, some people have been hospitalized for months, while others are in and out in only a few days. “They are going in, getting the treatment they need and going home,” Smith said.
County Judge Ruben Becerra praised the proactivity of the county’s hospital systems and noted the helpfulness of key personnel touring and observing procedures in Austin early in the pandemic. “The better you know the community’s resources, the better you can shape policy,” he said.
