Hays County’s epidemiologist and a local health department data analyst addressed the recent uptick in active COVID-19 cases and advised residents to practice caution during the upcoming holidays in a Nov. 18 press conference.
On Nov. 17, over 70 new cases were reported. Along with these new cases, seven newly-reported hospitalizations made up the most hospitalizations reported in a single day in Hays County since the beginning of the pandemic.
Eric Schneider, Hays County epidemiologist, says similar to the rest of the state, Hays County is experiencing an uptick in COVID-19 cases.
“Two weeks ago, we were seeing somewhere around 30 new cases per day, now we’re seeing almost 50 new cases per day,” Schneider said. “This surge is something we expected to see after Halloween.”
Schneider says the next pressing concern is the upcoming holiday season. Hays County medical personnel have concerns over the possibility of large gatherings and visits from people traveling from outside the county. Schneider says if families must celebrate, the preferred method would be to do it socially distanced with masks outdoors. Large indoor gatherings are discouraged.
“About where our case numbers are now is about where they were at the beginning of May. We had the Father’s Day, Memorial Day and Fourth of July surge that sent us skyrocketing in numbers,” Schneider said. “Our concern right now is that we have Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s coming up. We’re hoping we don’t see the same kind of increase but unfortunately at the moment we are trending at that exact same pattern.”
Hayden Matz, a data analyst for the county’s local health department, discussed the redaction of about 200 cases off Hays County’s total case count a few weeks prior. Matz says the reasons for removing cases from the COVID-19 reports include procedural mishaps with duplicated and transferred cases.
“The main reason [the removed cases] were added in the first place could be from a person getting a COVID test at two different clinics and the clinics put their name down differently, so when we enter those names they don’t get flagged as duplicates,” Matz said. “Some of the cases we also have to take out are transfers. Someone may have gotten tested in Hays, however, the clinics don’t check to see what county that person is a resident of.”
According to Matz, there are many ways incorrect data can be reported. To prevent these mistakes, every Friday there will be an internal audit to review the week’s reports and identify duplicates and transfers.
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.