Three Additional COVID-Related Fatalities Reported In Hays County
Corridor Staff
Hays County Reopening of County Offices
Offices, lobbies, and courts within the Hays County system are in varying stages of reopening to the public as they navigate this new world with COVID-19.
While many offices were closed during April and May, staff continued working to help you take care of your business with the County.
Visit the individual office web page on the county website at https://hayscountytx.com.
At the bottom of this story is a quick status of office/lobbies/courts as of June 24. Please contact the office or court directly if you have any questions.
All members of the public entering county buildings should wear face coverings and maintain a distance of six feet between
themselves and others who are not in their
own family.
*For specific county offices, testing locations, and additional information on COVID-19 in Hays County see below.
Helpful Links:
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READ THE COVID-19 FACT SHEET
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- Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then wash your hands.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.
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LATEST HAYS COUNTY COVID-19
*UPDATE ON FRIDAY, JULY 17, AT 4:30 PM
* Disclaimer: As this is a fast-moving situation, the information included below is provisional and subject to change.
*If listed as NR, the latest information has not been released by Hays County; the table will be updated when the data is available.
SPECIAL NOTE: Hays County’s demographic details are only reported Monday – Friday.
| HAYS COUNTY | JULY 16, 2020 | JULY 17, 2020 |
| TOTAL TESTS (includes pending cases) | ||
| NEW DAILY TESTS (*estimated) | 160* | 122* |
| TOTAL LAB CONFIRMED (*estimated) | 3,816* | 3,865* |
| ACTIVE (*estimated) | 3,001* | 3,018* |
| NEW DAILY CONFIRMED | 47 | 49 |
| TOTAL RECOVERED | 801 | 830 |
| DAILY RECOVERED | 40 | 29 |
| FATALITIES | 14 | 17 |
| NEGATIVE (*estimated) | 11,124* | 11,197* |
| HOSPITALIZATIONS TOTAL | 78 | 80 |
| HOSPITALIZATIONS CURRENT | 22 | 20 |
HAYS COUNTY DAILY CHANGE IN NEW CASES PER CITY
*Hays County Public Health updates the following information Monday – Friday only
| CITY | TOTAL CASES | ACTIVE CASES | RECOVERED | FATALITIES |
| AUSTIN | 33 | 21 | 11 | 1 |
| BEAR CREEK | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| BUDA | 474 | 381 | 92 | 1 |
| CREEDMOOR | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DRIFTWOOD | 22 | 20 | 2 | 0 |
| DRIPPING SPRINGS | 68 | 57 | 11 | 0 |
| HAYS | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| KYLE | 1,108 | 827 | 279 | 2 |
| MANCHACA | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| MAXWELL | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0 |
| MOUNTAIN CITY | 4 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| NIEDERWALD | 14 | 10 | 4 | 0 |
| SAN MARCOS | 2,063 | 1,640 | 413 | 10 |
| UHLAND | 8 | 7 | 1 | 0 |
| WIMBERLEY | 61 | 45 | 15 | 1 |
| WOODCREEK | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| TOTAL | 3,865 | 3,018 | 830 | 17 |
HAYS COUNTY POSITIVE TEST BY AGE AND GENDER
*Hays County Public Health updates the following information Monday – Friday only
| AGE RANGE | FEMALE | MALE | TOTAL |
| 0-9 YEARS | 63 | 52 | 115 |
| 10-19 YEARS | 155 | 102 | 257 |
| 20-29 YEARS | 858 | 865 | 1,723 |
| 30-39 YEARS | 326 | 316 | 642 |
| 40-49 YEARS | 231 | 199 | 430 |
| 50-59 YEARS | 180 | 153 | 333 |
| 60-69 YEARS | 119 | 85 | 204 |
| 70-79 YEARS | 52 | 49 | 101 |
| > 80 YEARS | 32 | 28 | 60 |
| TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES | 2,016 | 1,849 | 3,865 |
HAYS COUNTY DRILL DOWN OF ETHNICITY & GENDER
*Hays County Public Health updates the following information Monday – Friday only
| ETHNICITY | FEMALE | MALE | TOTAL | % OF CASES |
| HISPANIC | 802 | 748 | 1,550 | 40.1% |
| NON-HISPANIC | 356 | 334 | 690 | 17.9% |
| NOT SPECIFIED | 858 | 767 | 1,625 | 42.0% |
| TOTAL | 2,016 | 1,849 | 3,865 | 100% |
HAYS COUNTY DRILL DOWN BY RACE
*Hays County Public Health updates the following information Monday – Friday only
| RACE | PERCENTAGE OF CASES |
| AMERICAN INDIAN | 0% |
| ASIAN | 0.50% |
| BLACK | 1.90% |
| NATIVE HAWAIIAN / PACIFIC ISLANDER |
0% |
| WHITE | 54.30% |
| NOT SPECIFIED / UNKNOWN |
43.40% |
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LATEST TEXAS COVID-19 CASE TOTALS
*UPDATED ON FRIDAY, JULY 17, AT 4:15 PM
Disclaimer: COVID-19 is a fast-moving situation, the information included below is provisional and subject to change. All Texas data below is provisional and subject to change.* These numbers are an estimate based on several assumptions related to hospitalization rates and recovery times, which were informed by data available to date. These assumptions are subject to change as we learn more about COVID-19. The estimated number does not include data from any cases reported prior to 3/24/2020.
*If listed as NR, the latest information has not been released/reported by state agencies; the table will be updated when the data is available.
| STATE OF TEXAS | JULY 16, 2020 | JULY 17, 2020 |
| TOTAL TESTED |
2,992,102
|
3,067,620
|
| VIRAL TESTS | 2,699,855 |
2,767,321
|
| ANTIBODY TESTS | 224,433 |
224,781
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| POSITIVITY RATE (percentage runs a day behind) |
16.89%
(as of July 15) |
17.43%
(as of July 16) |
| TOTAL POSITIVE CASES REPORTED | 292,656 |
307,572
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| CURRENT ACTIVE (*estimated) | 133,158* |
141,646*
|
| NEW CASES FROM PRIOR DAY (*estimated) |
10,291* |
10,256*
|
| TOTAL RECOVERED (*estimated) |
155,937* |
162,191*
|
| TOTAL RECOVERED OVER LAST 24 HOURS (*estimated) |
6,661* | 6,254* |
| HOSPITALIZATIONS (*estimated) |
10,457*
|
10,632*
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| TOTAL FATALITY | 3,561 |
3,735
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| FATALITIES OVER LAST 24 HOURS (*estimated) | 129* |
174*
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| COUNTIES REPORTING CASES | 249 of 254 | 249 of 254 |
| COUNTIES WITH FATALITIES | 150 of 245 | 154 of 245 |
NOTE: Case and fatality information is updated daily at 1 pm and is compiled from information reported publicly by local health departments and through the DSHS public health regions. Counts are current as of that morning.
Because some jurisdictions report cases later in the day, local numbers may be more up to date. County case numbers may occasionally go down if the case investigation determines the person is a resident of another county or state.
Testing numbers show the number of test results for Texas residents reported to DSHS by public health and private labs. They do not include pending tests. Additional testing may be occurring by labs not yet reporting all results to DSHS. Unable to deduplicate total test numbers for private labs.
Demographic data comes from completed case investigations. The majority of cases in Texas are still under investigation.
Hospitalization and hospital capacity numbers are reported daily by hospitals through eight Hospital Preparedness Program providers that coordinate health care system preparedness and response activities in Texas.
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U.S. & WORLDWIDE CORONAVIRUS CASE OVERVIEW
*UPDATED ON FRIDAY, JULY 17, AT 6:08 AM
*Disclaimer: This data changes rapidly and might not reflect some cases still being reported.
| CASES REPORTED | CASES PER 1M PEOPLE | RECOVERED | FATALITIES | |
| U.S. CASES OVERVIEW |
3,533,905
|
10,723 |
1,026,816
|
138,358
|
| WORLDWIDE CASE OVERVIEW |
13,810,534
|
1,776 |
7,718,606
|
590,005 |
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REOPENING OF COUNTY OFFICES
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COUNTY CLERK – UPDATED JULY 10
All Hays County Clerk’s office locations are assisting customers by appointment only for Marriage License issuance and Birth/Death certificate issuance.
The clerk’s office will continue to offer other services by E-Record, E-file, mail, fax, telephone, and email. The county has reported that all offices have been professionally disinfected, staff have been quarantined for the recommended time from the CDC, and have been tested with no additional positive test.
Appointments available with the following guidelines:
- Face masks must be worn the entire time in the office.
- Only applicants are allowed in the lobby; no one else, including children, may enter.
- No same-day appointments.
*COUNTY COURT AT LAW
- Judge, County Court-at-Law, 1, Robert Updegrove
- Judge, County Court-at-Law, 2 Chris Johnson
- Judge, County Court-at-Law, 3, Tacie Zelhart
This office has remained open to serve all litigants and the citizens of Hays County. As Ordered by the Supreme Court of Texas and the state Office of Court Administration, during the pandemic, hearings were held remotely via teleconference.
This Court continues to have hearings via teleconference. In-person hearings will commence on June 1. The lobby is open. We request everyone to call before entering, if possible, at 512.393.7625 or email ccal@co.hays.tx.us to set a court date or receive additional information.
ELECTIONS OFFICE
Currently, the Elections Office is open to the public.
JUSTICE OF THE PEACE OFFICES
- Justice of the Peace 1-1, Judge Prado
Judge Prado’s office is open. - Justice of the Peace 1-2, Judge Moreno
Judge Moreno’s office is open. Visit the JP1-2 website to make payments online or get more information regarding this office. - Justice of the Peace 2, Judge Smith
No jury trials are taking place until August 1. Some cases have been held virtually and our office will continue to have virtual hearings until in-person hearings are approved. - Justice of the Peace 3, Judge Cable
This office has remained open. - Justice of the Peace 4 – Judge Burns
Effective immediately, and until further notice, all hearings and bench trials in Justice Court 4 will be heard by Zoom conference. By order of the Texas Supreme Court, jury trials may not be held until August 1, 2020, at the earliest. - Justice of the Peace 5, Judge Cary
- The JP-5 in Buda is open M-F, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Note
Hays County Courts and District Courts recognize the need to ensure the health and safety of litigants, attorneys, visitors, court staff, judges, and other individuals entering the buildings housing the courts.
Therefore, the courts of Hays County have implemented a series of protective measures. The full list can be found on the county’s website.
PRECINCT OFFICES
- County Judge — Staff is available to answer the phones, and the judge is continuing to hold meetings, as much as is feasible, through phone or digital platforms.
- Pct. 1, Commissioner Debbie Ingalsbe — Staff is available to answer the phone but Commissioner Ingalsbe is continuing to hold meetings, through phone or digital platforms as well as in person. Please contact her office to schedule appointments.
- Pct. 2, Commissioner Mark Jones — Staff is available to answer the phone, but Commissioner Jones is continuing to hold meetings, as much as possible, through phone or digital platforms.
- Pct. 3, Commissioner Lon Shell — Staff is available to answer the phone, but Commissioner Shell is continuing to hold meetings, as much as possible, through phone or digital platforms.
- Pct. 4, Commissioner Walt Smith — Commissioner Smith is available for phone meetings as well as in-person meetings at the County Courthouse on certain days.
TAX OFFICES
County tax offices are open to the public, with the exception of Pct. 4*. At the Government Center, individuals will queue in the hallway outside the Tax Office.
If the line extends to the main hallway, deputies will ask those persons to wait outside until they are called back in. A similar approach will be implemented at the precinct offices.
The drive-thru at the Government Center in San Marcos is back to normal operating hours, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday-Friday.
*Pct. 4 offices are temporarily closed due to water damage.
RESOURCES
Resources for Persons Affected by COVID-19. If you need food, funds, mental health support, a job, etc., take a look at this list of area resources. It includes info for small businesses and nonprofits, as well. Additional information from Workforce Solutions Rural Capital Area for Jobseekers and Employers is also available.
LOCAL & STATE ORDERS
- On April 27, Governor Abbott issued an Executive Order and on the phased opening of Texas businesses, effective May 1.
- On April 17 Governor Abbott issued an Executive Order on taking the first steps to reopen Texas businesses
- April 6, 2020, CDC Recommendations on Public Use of Cloth Face Masks
- On April 2, 2020, the Governor’s Statewide Executive Order on COVID-19 went into effect.
COVID-19 HOTLINE — 512.393.5525
This hotline is for answers to health questions about COVID-19 — safety practices, symptoms, quarantining, testing, etc. Operators cannot answer questions about the Stay at Home Order and Curfew, or other general questions.
Fact Sheet in English & Español
SNAP AND MEDICAID INFORMATION
Renewal requirements for SNAP & Medicaid temporarily waived.
Find out more about COVID-19 treatment and prevention in English. Información en español para la prevención y tratamiento de la Enfermedad del Coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19)
BEWARE SCAMS AND PRICE-GOUGING
Hays County provided information about possible scams and price gouging during the pandemic.
FRAUDULENT COVID-19 HOME TEST
The FDA is warning citizens about fraudulent COVID-19 Home Test Kits. More on test kits here.
SYMPTOMS OF COVID-19
There is no special treatment for COVID-19, nor is there a vaccine at this time. The virus is not a flu virus, so doctor-prescribed treatments for flu-like Tamiflu are of no use. The best-known treatment at this time is to take a fever-reducing medication containing acetaminophen or ibuprofen, and to self-isolate, until you have been fever-free for 72 hours (recently increased from 48 hours) WITHOUT the use of fever-reducing medications.
Most people who contract COVID-19 have a reaction similar to a mild to moderate case of Flu and do not necessarily need to see a doctor unless their symptoms worsen.
A fever that spikes to 104 degrees, or shortness of breath, are symptoms that may need medical attention and you should call your healthcare provider or emergency room. The most at-risk populations include the elderly and persons with compromised immune systems.
Most medical offices are requesting that you call before coming in if you believe you might have COVID-19. If you are experiencing significant shortness of breath you may be directed to a hospital emergency room.
The Hays County Local Health Department, which does NOT do testing for COVID-19, works with area hospitals to determine availability at hospitals for those who are sickest.
- Do you think you’ve been exposed to coronavirus?
- Are you experiencing symptoms?
The Texas Department of State Health Services tracks coronavirus cases in Texas and updates the numbers daily.
COVID-19 PREVENTION TIPS
- Wash hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds several times a day, including between your fingers and underneath your nails. Handwashing is considered the best way to remove germs and dirt, and hand sanitizers should be used only when handwashing is not available. The hand sanitizers should be at least 60 percent alcohol to be effective.
- Avoid handshaking and high-fives.
- Avoid touching your face – especially your eyes, nose, and mouth.
- Stay home when you feel sick.
- Cover your coughs and sneezes with a tissue then put the tissue in the trash, or use the crook of your elbow if a tissue isn’t available.
- Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces using a regular household disinfectant cleaning spray or wipe. Clean cell and desk phones, computer keyboards, door handles, and work surfaces often.
- Avoid travel to areas that have been designated high-risk areas because of multiple verified cases of Corona.
- Wear a mask or face covering when in public places.
HELPFUL LINKS:
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READ THE COVID-19 FACT SHEET
Thank you for publishing the data in easy to read tables.
You have a typo in the total number of lab-confirmed cases; it should be 3865 instead of 3885.
If I try to calculate a county-level positivity rate from this data, I get an alarmingly high number. (new daily confirmed = 49, new daily tests= 122… so is our positivity rate then 40%?)
Why is it so far above the state rate? Am I missing or misusing data?
Alana,
As for the positivity rate, this is a quote from the Johns Hopkins website (link to their page https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/testing/individual-states/texas);
“If a community’s positivity is high, it suggests that that community may largely be testing the sickest patients and possibly missing milder or asymptomatic cases. A lower positivity may indicate that a community includes testing patients with milder or no symptoms. The WHO has said in countries that have conducted extensive testing for COVID-19, it should remain at 5% or lower for at least 14 days.”
Johns Hopkins uses the 7-day rolling model. If Hays County used the 7-day rolling average positivity rate would be 71.32%.
Because of the fluctuating numbers, we like to use the 14-day rolling average and gives Hays County at 25.83%…and according to the paragraph above, it shows that the county testing people who are sick or thought to be.
And if you take the entire total tests Hays County has done (15,114) and the total positive test results (3,865), the positivity rate is 25.57%….this is the very reason we use the 14-day rolling average.
In our opinion, the county should do a media blitz to explain to its residents that, whether you think you have COVID-19 or not, everyone NEEDS TESTING. You should not be testing only sick people or people who think they might be infected.
About two weeks ago, we started sharing the Johns Hopkins University’s positivity rate for Texas and what Texas is reporting as their rate, hoping this would give our readers the bigger picture.
We hope this helps to answer your question, and thank you for reading! P.S. Thank you for catching the typo, and it has been corrected.
Staff, good explanation. You’ve clearly showed how easily the numbers can fluctuate between extremes.
Another thing to consider, is the ever changing testing policies. I heard Slick and Wolffee down south were thinking about switching back to testing only symptomatic cases. Have they done that? Any estimates as to how badly inflated S.A.’s numbers are?
Robert,
We had heard the same thing. However, we have no idea if that is accurate. With a lot of misinformation that COVID has brought out, we are not putting any weight behind what we heard. An old quote we live by… “Trust only those who stand to lose as much as you when things go wrong.”
Okay, thanks.
We should indeed be tes ing or screening all people, particularly as we want to re open all schools and businesses in the coming months. Yet one of the major problems which remains is the time it takes to return an accurate result from those tests; so tha affected person(s) can be isolated, substitutes arranged, and contact tracing initiated. Otherwise we can work hard and sacrifice yet again for 5-6 weeks to eliminate community transmission, only to see every undone yet again – and far worse than we are seeing now, when we are all forced indoors by winter weather and cold & you season cranks up.
While we still are experiencing critical shortages of testing & testing supplies in all of their forms, we also continue to face ongoing shortages of PPE (& we have not adequately supporyes IS mfgs of these products), drugs, and all of the other things we need to fight this pandemic… SEVEN MONTHS after getting the heads up about it! The DPA should have long ago been used for all of these things, but it hasn’t. It has been used for Ventilators (although most Texas JUS are using almost all of theirs, while the US is exporting them to OTHER countries)!
The other thing 45 has used the SPA for? Corruption & to line his campaign coffers while hurting IS workers!
It’s tragic maladministration that the DPA was used in such a blatantly corrupt manner to declare meat & poultry processing plants as critical essential infrastructure so that workers could be stripped of protections, of union organizing rights, he forced back to work in dangerous plants which has not been force to modify for safety or provide adequate PPE for their largely non-anglo workers. All under the guise that the domestic food supply lines to US grocery stores faced a a fire emergency! Yet, after the DO A was enacted for these companies – which it turns out happen to to be among the Trump campaigns absolute largest donors (& who who benefited immensely from changes in USMCA) – much of the meat and poultry they produced turned out to be for EXPORT – and if all places…
TO CHINA!
Hey Mr. Grey:
You forgot to say how Trump allowed all the demonstrations and riots to occur
without anyone wearing facemasks. Thas jussa nother reason why, why he’s so BAD.
Those poor people burning down cities without protection should sue everybody
responsible for hospital overcrowding including the doctors who refuse to cure this thing.
Trump caused it. Biden can cure it, and Mano Amiga won’t hurt you if you don’t resist.
Thank you for the clarification!
I’m glad you’re publishing Texas’ positivity rate; I think it’s an important metric.
That 7-day rolling number is shocking. The 14-day rate and overall rate are also pretty bad. These high positivity rates suggest that we may be undercounting local case numbers.
“In our opinion, the county should do a media blitz to explain to its residents that, whether you think you have COVID-19 or not, everyone NEEDS TESTING. You should not be testing only sick people or people who think they might be infected.”
Absolutely! Judging from these numbers our testing efforts still need major improvement.