The Hays County Local Health Department reports one new COVID-19-related fatality Dec. 29; a Buda woman in her 60s. There have been a total of 125 fatalities in the county.

The county also reported 407 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 221 recoveries, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 10,481, total active cases to 1,738 and recoveries to 8,618. The county reports the total active cases in the past 21 days is 2,286.

San Marcos, Kyle and Buda have 526, 556 and 353 active cases, respectively.

According to Epidemiologist Eric Schneider, the total number of received negative tests in the county is now 73,843. The total number of hospitalizations is 545 and total current hospitalizations is 46 after 18 people were hospitalized and four were discharged.

The University Star will continue to provide COVID-19 updates as any additional information is released.

Individuals concerned about possible exposure to COVID-19 are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider or the Hays County Local Health Department at 512.393.5520. For additional information about COVID-19, visit the Texas Department of State Health Services or the Centers for Disease Control website.

The University Star’s COVID-19 coverage can be found here.