Bexar County Leaders Urge Community to Stay Alert Against COVID-19 During Labor Day Weekend

Labor Day weekend

SAINT ANTHONY – Ahead of Labor Day weekend, San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg on Thursday urged residents to stay alert and take precautions to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

“Remember again that the decisions you make during this holiday weekend will determine how long this wave of COVID-19 will last,” Nirenberg said. “So do your part to help us contain this virus.”

Nirenberg recommended that families have individually packaged meals and snacks at meetings to reduce the chances of infection.

“Regardless of your vaccination status, mask yourself around others; wearing a mask is still the easiest thing to do for someone to slow the spread of this virus,” Nirenberg said.

Officials said no curfew will be imposed during the holiday weekend.

Check out today’s COVID-19 numbers and what you can find out about the latest climb in and around San Antonio here.

Announcements

Hospital admissions are still high

Although general hospitalizations have declined, Nirenberg said there were still 195 COVID-19 hospital admissions in the last 24 hours. Nirenberg said admissions have “kept close to these record numbers every day.”

About 85 percent of those hospitalized are not vaccinated, Nirenberg said.

Part of the decline in hospitalizations is due to the increasing use of monoclonal antibody treatments like Regeneron, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said.

“Until incoming patients start coming down dramatically, I think we still have a problem,” Wolff said.

Hospitals have also tried to bring certain medical services to patients at home to reduce admissions.

Flu season

The flu season is just around the corner, and it starts on October 1st. With COVID-19 cases still on the rise, officials recommended that families receive flu vaccines as soon as possible to reduce their chances of illness.

“Don’t expect a large number of (flu) cases in the community. The best time to get vaccinated is before the cases arrive, “said Dr. Anita Kurian, deputy director of Metro Health.

Announcements

Kurian said the city will start receiving shipments of the flu vaccine in late August and will start administering it in September. Other medical providers may have already started offering the flu vaccine, Kurian said.

If flu cases increase, experts worry about a potential “triple threat” amid the pandemic with COVID-19, the flu and RSV.

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