OVER THE WEEKEND: Estimated active coronavirus cases drop in Williamson County

The Williamson County and Cities Health District reported 60 new coronavirus cases Aug. 22-24, bringing the total to 7,747.

Per the report, 76 patients are hospitalized, 26 are in intensive care and 15 are on a ventilator. The WCCHD also reported 26% of hospital beds, 19% of ICU beds and 86% of ventilators are available.

The current seven-day rolling positivity rate is 8.58%; the figure continues, generally, to volley around 10%. However, the rate has decrease since it peaked in late June and early July, data shows. The highest rate was reported at 33.3% on June 28.

One additional death was also reported. The total is now 113.

On July 29, the county announced the Texas Department of State Health Services is now using death certificates instead of local health district reports to count COVID-19 fatalities. According to the county, this standardizes death reporting across the state, but it does leave a lag, as death certificates can take up to three months to be issued.

Of the total cases reported, 7,262 have recovered, or 93.74%, and there are an estimated 372 active cases.

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.

Here is an update on total cases in the cities of residence, including probable cases, according to the WCCHD.

• Austin: 487
• Cedar Park: 802
• Georgetown: 1,330
• Hutto: 522
• Leander: 406
• Round Rock: 2,387
• Other: 932

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.

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.