Coronavirus update San Antonio, July 21: City to release new model with updated COVID-19 data on Wednesday

SAN ANTONIO – Editor’s Note: Watch the entire briefing in the video player above. Newsletter recipients can click here to access the video.

San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg and Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff updated the community about the local response to COVID-19 in their daily briefing Tuesday night.

Here are a few of the highlights:

• Nirenberg reported 31,867 total COVID-19 cases and 274 total deaths in Bexar County, as of Tuesday, an increase of 551 new cases. Twelve new deaths were reported today.
• City officials also reported that 1,166 patients are hospitalized, 435 are in the intensive care unit and 288 are on ventilators. There are 10% of staffed beds available and 47% of ventilators available.
• Nirenberg said 33% of hospital admissions in the area are related to COVID-19 cases.
• The mayor said the city will be releasing a new model on Wednesday that will show updated data on how the city is doing during the pandemic. He said more information would be released during the next briefing. “We all need to do our part. We’re peaking right now,” he said.
• Dr. Colleen Bridger, interim director of the Metropolitan Health District and assistant city manager, said the city has made great progress with hiring case investigators and partnering with a company for contract tracers. She said the city has 116 full-time case investigators and 12 full-time contact tracers that were hired through a contract with an outside company.
• Bridger said there are 211 cases of infants 1 year old and younger who have COVID-19. She said they have seen less acute infections in these types of cases typically. 
• Dr. Lynette Watkins, chief medical officer at Baptist Healthcare System, said the Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council has a pediatric division that is working on a triage plan just in case it’s needed.
• Watkins said Baptist Healthcare System has partnered with the U.S. Department of Defense and the state and local governments to bringing in additional nurses and clinical staff members.
• Watkins also said hospitals need convalescent plasma, regardless of blood type, to take care of critically ill patients and encourages people to donate.

Track daily spikes in COVID-19 cases in San Antonio, Bexar County

MORE CORONAVIRUS COVERAGE FROM KSAT:

• Track coronavirus cases by ZIP, age in San Antonio with interactive map
• Resources from World Health Organization, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, City of San Antonio