The Hays County Local Health Department reports eight new COVID-19-related fatalities Jan. 16-19, an Austin man in his 80s, two Kyle men in their 40s, two Kyle men in their 50s, one Kyle man in his 70s, one Kyle woman in her 70s and one San Marcos man in his 60s. There have been a total of 162 fatalities in the county.

The county also reported 707 new lab-confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 315 recoveries, bringing the total number of cases in the county to 13,647, total active cases to 2,744 and recoveries to 10,741. The county reports the total active cases in the past 21 days is 3,628.

San Marcos, Kyle and Buda have 881, 851 and 553 active cases, respectively.

According to Epidemiologist Eric Schneider, the total number of received negative tests in the county is now 94,146. The total number of hospitalizations is 658 and total current hospitalizations is 49 after 22 people were hospitalized and 19 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.