San Antonio officials reported 795 new COVID-19 cases and two new deaths Saturday as the rapid spread of the coronavirus continued unabated.
Underscoring the urgency of the situation, the Bexar County Office of Emergency Management used the wireless emergency alert system to issue a public warning. The message, similar to an Amber alert, appeared on mobile phones around 7 p.m. Saturday, accompanied by a siren-like tone.
“STAY HOME,” it said. “The COVID-19 virus is spreading rapidly across Bexar County. Local hospitals are approaching capacity. Protect yourself and your family. Stay home except for essential activities, wear a face covering and avoid gathering with people outside your household. STAY SAFE.”
On ExpressNews.com: A timeline of COVID-19 in San Antonio
Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a news release that “this action is reserved only for emergencies, and we have clearly reached emergency status.”
He added: “We need every person in San Antonio and Bexar County to take this crisis seriously and behave accordingly to slow the exponential growth of the virus.”
The 795 new cases reported Saturday represented the largest one-day increase since the start of the pandemic in March. The previous high of 638 was set Thursday. Bexar County’s total number of confirmed cases has reached 9,652.
The two deaths raised the county’s death toll to 107.
Some 730 people were being treated in area hospitals for COVID-19, an increase of 31 from Friday, the Metropolitan Health District reported.
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There were 219 patients in intensive care, two fewer than the day before, and 112 were on ventilators, five fewer than on Friday.
Confirmed coronavirus cases in San Antonio have more than doubled in the last two weeks. The number of hospitalizations has doubled in the last week alone.
Officials reported 21 percent of staffed hospital beds in the county were available Saturday, while 66 percent of ventilators were available for use.
Statewide, officials reported Saturday that 5,523 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, an increase of more than 400 patients since Friday. The state reported 5,747 new cases Saturday.
In a video posted Saturday to social media, Nirenberg said hospitals locally are “reaching capacity.” He implored city residents to stay home, and to wear masks, wash hands frequently and keep physical distance from others while away from your household.
“Prolonged face-to-face contact with people outside of our households is how this virus is spreading,” Nirenberg said. “The simplest of measures could have the greatest impact on our ability to contain the spread of this disease.”
The sharp spike in cases in recent days prompted Gov. Greg Abbott to close bars on Friday and place further restrictions on customer capacity inside restaurants. Abbott had allowed restaurants to operate at 75 percent of occupancy but scaled that back to 50 percent starting on Monday.
As of Saturday, gatherings at city parks and plazas are limited to no more than 10 people. Pools and splash pads slated to reopen July 3 will remain closed.
The limit on gatherings will apply to political protests if demonstrators congregate in city parks, the mayor said.
“COVID-19 has taken hold within our community,” Nirenberg said Saturday. “The spread of this virus isn’t because of any one thing, so it’s incumbent upon all of us to patronize businesses responsibly … and remain vigilant if we’re going to contain the spread COVID-19.”
diego.mendoza-moyers@express-news.net
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