Williamson County adds more than 300 COVID-19 cases, 8 deaths March 18-21

Williamson County reported 300 new coronavirus cases between March 18-21, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 36,724, according to Williamson County and Cities Health District data.

The county also added eight new deaths during that time, bringing the total to 439, it said.

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 dropped down to the orange phase‚ which indicates a high risk of the spread of the coronavirus, from the red phase, which indicates uncontrolled spread, on March 18, but local health officials still recommend individuals wear a mask and maintain 6 feet of distance from those not in their household.

According to the dashboard, 10.6% of Williamson County residents are fully vaccinated, and 27.4% have received at least one shot.

The seven-day rolling positive rate, or the rate at which tests for the coronavirus return positive, is 3.77%.

Total cases by cities of residence, including probable cases, according to the WCCHD, are as follows.

• Austin: 3,507
• Cedar Park: 2,748
• Georgetown: 7,856
• Hutto: 2,668
• Leander: 3,069
• Round Rock: 9,939
• Other: 4,962

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: 21
• Cedar Park: 67
• Georgetown: 110
• Other: 89
• Round Rock: 152

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.