COVID-19 activity is rising again in Texas, with the latest state data showing a sharp week-over-week increase.
From Aug. 16 to Aug. 22, the Texas Department of State Health Services recorded 3,105 new confirmed and probable COVID-19 cases — 2,198 confirmed and 907 probable.
That represents a 54.2% increase from the previous week, when DSHS recorded 2,014 new cases.
The increase comes as one Rio Grande Valley school district recently closed all campuses for two days because of what officials described as the “rapid spread of COVID-19.”
Closer to home, the latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention provides a look at COVID-19 transmission in Bexar County.
While the CDC classifies COVID-19 epidemic trends in Bexar County as “growing,” the virus accounted for about 1.1% of emergency department visits in the county.
State health officials caution that case counts no longer provide a complete picture of transmission. Since March 2024, individual COVID-19 cases have not been required to be reported to DSHS, meaning the agency’s counts rely on voluntary reporting.
Still, the recent increase is notable. Through Aug. 1, nearly 170 deaths linked to COVID-19 had been identified among Texas residents this year, with people 80 and older accounting for almost half. Since the pandemic began in 2020, 96,915 COVID-19-associated deaths have been identified among Texas residents.
For San Antonio, the latest data show COVID-19 activity is increasing, though emergency department visits attributed to the virus remain relatively low. CDC data also show COVID-19 hospital admission levels remain very low statewide in Texas.
Health officials recommend taking precautions to reduce the spread of COVID-19, including washing hands, wearing a mask when appropriate, staying up to date on vaccinations and avoiding close contact with others when experiencing respiratory symptoms.