Comal County's first community spread COVID-19 case is Bulverde-area resident

Another Comal County resident has tested positive for COVID-19 and the county's Office of Public Health has declared it be the first case of the virus being spread between members of the community.

“Until this point, all of our positive cases had traveled to places experiencing an active COVID-19 outbreak before developing symptoms,” said Cheryl Fraser, director of public health. “This patient has tested positive without leaving Comal County, which means COVID-19 is spreading in our community.”

According to a press release from Comal County, the patient is in their 80s and lives in the Bulverde area. They are currently hospitalized outside of the county.

The patient made several shopping trips before they began presenting symptoms. They visited the "Bulverde H-E-B sometime between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on March 10 and March 12, and the Bulverde Walmart sometime between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. on March 16."

125 COVID-19 test results have been reported to the county to date and 38 are still pending. There are nine confirmed cases in the county and one death, as of 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 27.

Two patients are still hospitalized outside the county, including the Bulverde man announced today. A New Braunfels man in his 40s died at an Austin hospital on Wednesday afternoon.

A stay-at-home order has yet to be issued by Comal County. New Braunfels, Bexar County, Hays County and Travis County are members of a growing list of governing bodies across the state that have issued such declarations.