Kerr County COVID-19 hospitalizations decrease as vaccination numbers continue to climb

Kerr County officials were pleased to announce that local COVID-19 numbers are trending in a positive way, as the county reported a decrease in virus-related hospitalizations and saw 895 residents get vaccinated for the coronavirus over the last week. “Our hospitalizations of COVID-19 patients in Peterson Regional Medical Center are now down to 20 as of today,” said Kerr County Emergency Management Coordinator Dub Thomas.

Local hospitalizations mirrored those across the 28-county region to which Kerr County belongs, reflecting the lowest number since August 2. Texas Department of State Health Services reported 1,009 patients, which is 204 less than on September 13.

Another positive indicator is in Kerr County’s active cases, which were reported on Monday, Sept. 20 to be 193, some 43 people fewer than was reported by Texas DSHS last week. DSHS did confirm 4 more fatalities over the past week due to COVID, increasing the county’s official death toll to 111.

“When we look at how many people are getting over COVID-19 and how many fewer people are needing to be hospitalized by it, as well as the slow-down in new cases, it is natural then for us to also note that the county gained 895 residents to “fully vaccinated” status over the last week,” Thomas said. As of Monday, there are 22,113 local residents who are fully vaccinated, compared to last week’s reported 21,218.

Regarding the topic of booster shots, the first people to qualify for a shot would be the same individuals who first qualified to receive the COVID-19 vaccine – healthcare workers, residents of long-term care facilities, older citizens and those with at-risk conditions. Currently, there are no plans for mass booster vaccination clinics in the county. More information about booster vaccines is available on the CDC’s website: http://cdc.gov/.

In neighboring Gillespie County, 54.40% of all eligible residents are fully vaccinated, and Hill Country Memorial Hospital is confirming 5 COVID-19 patients. As of Sept. 20, the county has 118 active coronavirus cases and the official death toll due to the virus is 68.

The third special session of the 87th Texas Legislature got underway Monday and saw 10 bills already filed over COVID-19 vaccination mandates in the state. Governor Abbott issued an executive order in late August banning vaccine mandates by government agencies and entities, urging lawmakers to take up the topic during the 30-day session as one of his five legislative priorities.

Texas DSHS said on Monday that there are 11,710 COVID-19 hospitalizations, 350,177 active cases and 60,832 deaths.