The Hays County Local Health Department (HCLHD) is now reporting COVID-19 data in a manner that is more in line with how the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) now calculates whether a community has high, medium or low transmission (visit that webpage here; Hays County is currently identified as Low Transmission). It’s also in a more standardized format for comparability across counties and regions.
Beginning today, HCLHD added a metric: the weekly case rate per 100,000 (7-day average). See the item in red in the table below. An explanation is in the metric definitions table below.
Additional information about COVID-19 cases is available on our online dashboard. The dashboard is updated M-F excluding county holidays.
Hays County COVID-19 Update March 30, 2022
Key Statistics
| News Cases* (past 7-day total) | 109 |
| Daily case rate per 100,000 (7-day average) | 6.5 |
| Weekly case rate per 100,000 (7-day average) | 45.2 |
| Active cases | 109 |
| Hospital admissions (total past 7 days) | 5 |
| New hospitalizations per 100,000 (7-day average) | 2 |
| Fatalities (past 7 days) | 1 |
| 7-day test positivity rate | 3.63% |
*combined PCR and Antigen positives; includes data from 3/24-3/30
NOTE: Data is provisional and subject to change
HCLHD reminds everyone that COVID-19 is a respiratory virus that spreads primary through the air. Wearing an N95, KN95, or KF94 mask while indoors will reduce your chances of catching the virus. Additional measures include utilizing indoor air filters, social distancing, and frequent hand washing. Staying up to date with COVID vaccinations greatly reduces the risk of severe disease and death. Everyone age five and older is eligible to receive the vaccine. Everyone over the age of 16 is encouraged to get a booster dose.
Hays County residents can upload at-home COVID-19 test results here: https://arcg.is/1G4P1r. No identifying information is collected. While these reports are not included in our official case counts, they help provide a better understanding of community spread.
Vaccine opportunities:
- Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., Pfizer, @ Christus Trinity Clinic (formerly Live Oak),
401 Broadway, San Marcos - M-F, Walk-in Pfizer vaccine clinics @ CommuniCare, 2810 Dacy Ln., Kyle, 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 1-3 p.m.
- More locations can be found here: https://www.vaccines.gov
- Check with your health care provider to see if they offer vaccines
| Metric | Explanation |
| New Cases | Total new cases since the last report. This includes both PCR and antigen positive tests. This is a change from the previous 2 years reporting that separated PCR tests (confirmed) from antigen tests (probable). |
| Daily Case Rate per 100K | The number of daily new cases per 100,000 population. This is calculated by dividing the 7-day average of new cases by the county population and multiplying by 100,000. This standardizes the data in a way that makes it easy to compare data across areas with differing populations. |
| Weekly Case Rate per 100K | Calculated by dividing the total number of cases in the past 7 days by the county population and multiplying by 100,000. This metric is one that the CDC is currently using to determine COVID-19 community levels. |
| Active Cases | The number of new cases over the past 7 days. This number is a very broad estimate of the number of people who may be contagious. |
| Hospital Admissions (past 7 days) | Total number of new COVID-19 hospital admissions in the past 7 days. |
| Hospitalizations per 100K (7-day total) | Total number of new COVID-19 hospital admissions in the past 7 days divided by the county population and multiplied by 100,00. This metric is also used to determine CDC community levels. |
| Fatalities | COVID-19 deaths reported in the past 7 days. |
| 7-day Positivity Rate | Percentage of PCR tests that were positive in the past 7 days. Calculated by dividing the number of positive PCR tests by the total number of reported PCR tests and multiplying by 100. Test positivity rate aims to measure the viral prevalence in a community but is also affected by testing strategies and availability. |
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