With key metrics showing steady progress in the fight against the coronavirus, the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District has lowered its risk rating for schools from “moderate” to “low,” giving districts latitude to bring more students back to classrooms.
Under Metro Health guidelines, the “low” rating means schools can offer in-person instruction to all students, provided they maintain 6 feet of distance, wash hands frequently and wear masks during “high-contact activities.”
When the risk rating was “moderate,” Metro Heath guidelines sanctioned in-class instruction for special needs and at-risk students and those who lacked resources to learn from home. Schools were advised to allow no more than 6 students per classroom and to limit building occupancy to 25 percent of capacity.
The Metro Health guidelines are not binding on school districts, but many have been following them voluntarily as they have slowly increased the number of students receiving instruction in classrooms.
“Let’s all work together, San Antonio,” Mayor Ron Nirenberg said Tuesday during his daily televised coronavirus briefing. “Please, let’s mask up, wash your hands off and keep six feet of distance from others and please, please, please — stay home when you’re sick.”
Mario Martinez, assistant director of Metro Health, said: “Each school will have to look at their occupancy based on the ability to maintain the social distancing requirements in classrooms, in the common areas.”
He said that includes ensuring that staff and students have clean or new masks every day and that surfaces are disinfected frequently.
Metro Health’s School Risk Level Indicator is set at high, moderate or low depending on various health metrics, including the percentage of COVID-19 tests conducted in Bexar County that come back positive and the length of time it would take for the total number of cases to double.
Officials said the doubling time is now 90 days, an improvement from mid-August, when it was 40 days, indicating more rapid spread.
The test positivity rate has fallen to 4.9 percent, officials said. Since the summer surge in cases, officials had been striving to bring the rate below 5 percent. For several weeks in late June and July, it exceeded 20 percent.
On ExpressNews.com: San Antonio’s coronavirus positivity rate dips below 5 percent, for the first time in months
On Tuesday, Metro Health reported 193 new COVID-19 cases and one new death — a woman in her 40s with underlying health conditions.
The death pushed Bexar County’s fatality toll since the start of the pandemic to 1,168. Metro Health is investigating an additional 165 deaths recorded by the state health department.
The county has now tallied 58,939 coronavirus infections in all. Metro Health estimates that nearly 80 percent of those people have recovered.
The seven-day rolling average of new cases per day fell to 126 as of Tuesday, a further sign of how the pandemic has eased over the last two months. In mid-July, the average exceeded 1,000 new cases per day.
San Antonio hospitals were caring for 206 coronavirus patients as of Tuesday — a drop from 219 on Monday. Eighty-two of those patients were in intensive care and 41 were on ventilators.
Citing new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that virus particles can persist in indoor air for hours, Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff advised residents to make sure their air conditioning and heating units are not allowing stale air to linger.
“Although it’s limited and uncommon that that may happen, it still is important that you have an air conditioning and heating system that has an average of four to six air changes per hour,” Wolff said. “In other words, you’re bringing in more fresh air to clear out the stale air.”
During the briefing, Nirenberg and Wolff took issue with comments by President Donald Trump likening the virus to the flu and urging Americas not to “be afraid of COVID.” Trump spent three days in the hospital being treated for COVID-19. He returned to the White House on Monday.
“We already know that this has killed many more people in our country over the last few months than the flu has over the last several flu seasons,” Nirenberg said. “We can’t underestimate this COVID pandemic, not only in our community but also across the country and across the world.”
Wolff added: “COVID affects a lot of things that the flu may not affect. There’s a pretty big chance that you’re going to have some repercussions to your health for the rest of your life. So, there is no comparison.”
Wolff announced that Bexar County Commissioners Court has allocated $2 million to Community Labs, a new nonprofit formed to provide rapid, mass testing of asymptomatic people to identify “silent spreaders” of the virus.
The effort began recently with testing of students at Somerset Independent School District in rural Southwest Bexar County. Wolff said the county funds would allow Community Labs to expand testing to other districts.
Community Labs has also partnered with the city to provide testing for asymptomatic people at three city testing centers.
Community Labs is working with BioBridge Global, which conducts the tests in collaboration with UT Health San Antonio. The effort is being led by several area philanthropists, including tech entrepreneur Graham Weston, former CEO and chairman of Rackspace Technology.
Area report
Comal County reported 14 new cases Tuesday, bringing the county’s total to 3,520. Half of those cases involved people below the age of 50.
Of the total number of cases, 100 are active.
Comal County hospitals were caring for eight coronavirus patients. Four were in intensive care and one was on a ventilator.
The county’s death toll remained at 116.
Liz Hardaway is a staff writer covering San Antonio government and politics. To read more from Liz, become a subscriber. liz.hardaway@hearst.com | Twitter: @liz_hardaway
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“Low” coronavirus risk rating gives S.A. schools leeway to bring more students back to classrooms - San Antonio Express-News
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