COVID-19: Taylor County adds 52 new cases, 31 recoveries Wednesday

Laura Gutschke, Abilene Reporter-News
·4 min read

The Abilene-Taylor County Public Health District reported Wednesday 52 new cases of COVID-19 and 31 recoveries.

Of the new cases, six were confirmed via polymerase chain reaction tests.

Active cases total 619 (153 PCR cases and 466 cases from antigen tests). A week ago, active cases numbered 575.

Hendrick Health reported Wednesday 55 COVID-19 inpatients, with 17 in ICU. On the last report Monday, there were 55 inpatients, including 15 in ICU.

The breakdown Wednesday by facilities was 52 inpatients at the Abilene hospitals (14 in ICU), and three at the Brownwood hospital (al in ICU).

Of the 55 Hendrick COVID-19 inpatients, 45 were not fully vaccinated.

The percentage of COVID-19 inpatients in the 16-county Abilene trauma service area was 6.48% of total capacity Tuesday, compared to 6.92% Monday and 7% Sunday, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services COVID-19 database.

The Abilene trauma service area Wednesday had 63 COVID-19 inpatients, one fewer than Tuesday. The state also reported Wednesday that 11 admissions were made in the previous 24 hours.

Vaccine update for Taylor County

Taylor County has administered more than 134,128 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, as of Nov. 30, according to data from the Texas Department of State Health Services.

That's up 1.1% from the previous week's tally of 132,671 COVID-19 doses administered.

In Taylor County, 43% of people living in Taylor County are fully vaccinated as of Nov. 30. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers someone fully vaccinated two weeks after they've been given a single-dose shot (Johnson & Johnson) or a second shot (either Pfizer or Moderna).

In Taylor County, 50% of people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, for a total of 67,623 people. 43% of county residents are fully vaccinated, for a total of 58,789 people.

Across the state, 67% of people have received at least one dose of the vaccine, for a total of 18,584,093 people. 57% of Texans are fully vaccinated, for a total of 15,861,342 people.

— Diane Pantaleo, USA TODAY NETWORK

More: Abilene's Hendrick Health suspends vaccine requirement following federal injunction

More: Taylor County COVID-19 vaccine tracker: 43% of people fully vaccinated

Coronavirus by the numbers

Abilene/Taylor County (updated Wednesday): New cases, 52; PCR cases, 9,807; active PCR cases, 153; total antigen probable cases, 13,816; total active antigen cases, 466; total PCR recoveries, 9,455; total antigen recoveries, 13,004; Total deaths, 545.

Texas (updated Wednesday): Total cases, 3,586,546; New cases, 1,495; Active cases (estimated), 49,830; Hospitalized, 2,894; Fatalities, 72,707; New fatalities, 100; Total tests, 47,779,700; Recovered (estimated), 4,196,167.

Big Country estimated active cases (as tracked by the state): Scurry, 307; Stephens, 84; Brown, 65; Comanche, 62; Howard, 52; Erath, 40; Callahan, 38; Eastland, 31; Nolan, 31; Mitchell, 26; Coleman, 20; Shackelford, 18; Runnels, 17; Fisher, 11; Knox, 11; Haskell, 9; Coke, 5; Throckmorton, 3; Stonewall, 2; Jones, 0; and Kent, 0.

Select West Texas counties estimated active cases: Lubbock, 1,333; Randall (Canyon), 964; Potter (Amarillo), 715; Midland, 550; Ector (Odessa), 426; Wichita (Wichita Falls), 232; Tom Green (San Angelo), 158; Moore, 85; and Hale (Plainview), 72.

Sources: City of Abilene, Texas Department of State Health Services (counts PCR cases only)

SELECT PRISONS (Tuesday update)

Daniel (Snyder): Staff cases – active, 0; Inmate cases – active, 1, medical isolation, 1.

Havins (Brownwood): Staff cases – active, 2; Inmate cases – active, 0, medical isolation, 0.

Middleton (Abilene): Staff cases – active, 4; Inmate cases – active, 2, medical isolation, 2.

Robertson (Abilene): Staff cases – active, 3; Inmate cases – active, 1, medical isolation, 1.

Sayle (Breckenridge): Staff cases – active, 2; Inmate cases – active, 0; medical isolation, 0.

Wallace (Colorado City): Staff cases – active, 2; Inmate cases – active, 4, medical isolation, 5.

Source: Texas Department of Criminal Justice COVID-19 website.

SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES

Abilene ISD: Reported Wednesday nine new cases (six students, three staff members). New cases by campus: one student at Abilene High, three students and three staff members at Clack Middle, one student at Craig Middle and one student at Bonham Elementary.

Active cases total 27 (15 students, 12 staff members), which is six more than reported Monday. Since Aug. 3, the district has reported 1,295 cases (1,051 students, 244 staff members).

Wylie ISD: Reported Wednesday four new student cases. Active cases total 11, compared to seven on Tuesday.

Active cases by campus (all students): one at East Junior High, two at West Junior High, one at West Intermediate, four at Wylie High and three at West Elementary.

Abilene Christian University: Reported Wednesday four new cases, for a total of 12 active cases, one more than Tuesday. Of the active cases, 50% are unvaccinated. Due to possible exposure, four people are in quarantine. Cumulative cases since Aug. 17 total 193.

McMurry University: Reported Tuesday three new cases: one faculty member and two staff members. The campus has four active cases, and cumulative cases since Aug. 1 is 93.

More: COVID-19: Taylor County adds 2 deaths Tuesday, reports 34 in November

Laura Gutschke is a general assignment reporter and food columnist and manages online content for the Reporter-News. If you appreciate locally driven news, you can support local journalists with a digital subscription to ReporterNews.com.

This article originally appeared on Abilene Reporter-News: COVID-19: Taylor County adds 52 new cases, 31 recoveries Wednesday