COVID-19 in Central Texas: Hays County, three others downgraded in latest risk levels

The South African doctor who alerted officials of the possibility of a new variant, later named omicron, said the “unusual but mild” symptoms were what caught her attention. The variant on Monday was detected in South Texas in Cameron County on the Mexican border.(Photo: Getty Images)

by: Christopher Adams

Posted: Aug 4, 2022 / 05:05 PM CDT

Updated: Aug 4, 2022 / 06:17 PM CDT

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Three local counties, including Hays County, have been downgraded from high to medium risk for COVID-19 in the newest weekly update from the CDC.

Caldwell and Lampasas Counties joined Hays in dropping from high to medium. San Saba County was downgraded from medium to low risk.

Meanwhile, Mason County was upgraded from medium to high risk.

Each week since Feb. 24, the CDC has assigned a “COVID-19 Community Level” to every county nationwide based on how the virus is impacting local populations.

At this time, Blanco, Fayette and Milam Counties remain in the high risk. Travis and Williamson Counties remain at medium risk.

How are the Community Levels calculated?

Low, medium and high-risk categories are determined based on three factors: number of new cases in the past seven days, new hospital admissions in the past seven days and percent of staffed hospital beds being used by COVID-19 patients.

The first consideration is the number of new cases per 100,000 residents over the past seven days. If the number of new cases is higher than 200, the county cannot be considered low risk.

The thresholds for hospital admissions and inpatient bed usage then change depending on whether the county has fewer or more than 200 new cases per 100,000 residents.

Here’s a look at the numbers in each county in the KXAN viewing area. Remember, the number of new cases is considered first. If that number than 200, the county cannot be considered low risk. The thresholds for hospital admissions and inpatient bed usage then change depending on whether the county has fewer or more than 200 new cases per 100,000 residents.

Meanwhile, 75% of Texas’ population lives in a county rated high risk, including the cities of Houston, Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, El Paso, Corpus Christi and Brownsville.

Approximately 21% of the state’s population lives in a medium risk county, while about 4% live in a low risk county.

The CDC has the following recommendations for people depending on which COVID-19 Community Level their county is in:

Low Risk

Stay up-to-date with COVID vaccines
Get tested if you have symptoms

Medium Risk

Same precautions as low risk and:
Talk to your healthcare provider about whether you should wear a mask and take other precautions if you are at high risk for severe illness

High Risk