Williamson County reported its highest coronavirus hospitalization figure since the start of the pandemic Jan. 6, with 158, according to a Williamson County and Cities Health District report.

The county also reported 388 new cases, bringing the total to 22,836.

Due to the increase in cases, the WCCHD has asked that anyone who gathered or traveled during the holidays stay home for seven days, even if they receive a negative test for the coronavirus. Anyone who tests positive should isolate for 10 days to protect others from getting infected, it said.

There are 59 patients in intensive care units and 34 on ventilators in the county. The WCCHD also reported 20% of hospital beds, 6% of ICU beds and 37% of ventilators are available.

The death toll remains 214.


Counted deaths are of those who have COVID-19 listed as a direct cause of death on the death certificate. The total does not include deaths of people who had COVID-19 but died of an unrelated cause, according to the Texas Department of State Health Services dashboard. This method may delay reporting by weeks or even months due to paperwork, county health officials have said.

Williamson County continues to sit at the red level for coronavirus transmission risk. This is characterized by uncontrolled community spread, according to the WCCHD.

Of the total cases reported, 20,659 are estimated to have recovered, and there are an estimated 1,963 active cases. There are 2,926 total probable cases.

The current rolling seven-day positivity rate, or the rate at which tests for the coronavirus return positive, sits at 17.28%.


Recoveries are not reported to the state’s contact tracing and data system; therefore, recovery information is not absolute and is to be used for estimating purposes only, according to the WCCHD website. No trends or other inferences should be drawn from this data, as the numbers posted represent a point-in-time snapshot and may fluctuate throughout the day, it said.

Total cases by cities of residence, including probable cases, according to the WCCHD, are as follows.
  • Austin: 1,702
  • Cedar Park: 2,265
  • Georgetown: 4,742
  • Hutto: 1,632
  • Leander: 1,725
  • Round Rock: 6,227
  • Other: 3,086
If the WCCHD is unable to confirm the city of residence after three attempts, the case is deemed “lost to follow-up” and is not included in the above count, officials said.

Here is a breakdown of deaths by city, according to the WCCHD.
  • Austin: 10
  • Cedar Park: 32
  • Georgetown: 44
  • Other: 40
  • Round Rock: 88
Officials said the county is not legally able to release the specific counts in cities with fewer than 20,000 residents. For more information, such as gender and age breakdowns, visit the county's dashboard.