More than 800 City of San Antonio staff members are out because of COVID-19, and City Manager Eric Walsh says he’s keeping a close eye on all staff numbers to ensure there is no disruption to city services.

Walsh said the number of city employees out sick or in quarantine continues to increase.

“We are prepared and monitoring to make adjustments to city services,” he said.

The city reports 845 out of more than 12,500 city staff are out to do COVID-19. That includes uniformed staff. The San Antonio Police Department reports about 6% of its officers are out due to COVID-19. Additionally, about 5% of firefighters are out sick.

Methodist Healthcare, Baptist Health System, and University Health report a high number of COVID-19 infections among clinical staff.

Dina Perez-Graham, vice president and associate chief nursing officer of Trauma and Emergency Services for University Health, said the surge of virus cases is taking a toll on staff members.

“Every time we think we’re going to get a lull, it picks back up again,” Perez-Graham said. “Our teams are working like crazy to cover our shifts. They make ends meet helping one another. They are strong but tired.”

The Southwest Texas Regional Advisory Council (STRAC) said help is on the way, and more than 400 state nurses will begin arriving Friday.

The new CDC guidelines on quarantine will also help ease the burden for staff. Click here to learn more about the new guidelines.

Some hospitals, like University Hospital, provide on-site COVID-19 testing with quick test results to check if hospital staff members are sick.

ALSO ON KSAT.COM

KSAT Q&A: Infectious disease doctor discusses COVID-19 reinfection with omicron, what to do when showing symptoms

5 charts show COVID-19 surge in San Antonio

Here are the COVID-19 vaccine pop-up clinics taking place around San Antonio

Where to get tested for COVID-19 in San Antonio, Bexar County

Where to get a COVID-19 vaccine in San Antonio

The San Antonio Martin Luther King Jr. Commission board decided on Thursday to cancel the annual MLK March for 2022.

The event is billed as the largest in the nation and was set to take place on Jan. 17. This is the second year in a row the march has been canceled due to COVID-19 concerns.

While the march won’t take place, the board will decide what activities may still be allowed to happen. That discussion is expected to occur during next Monday’s meeting.

Click here for updates from the MLK Commission.

Dr. Ruth Berggren, an infectious disease specialist with UT Health San Antonio, joined anchors Steve Spriester and Myra Arthur during Thursday’s KSAT Q&A on the 6 p.m. News to discuss COVID-19 reinfection with the new variant, omicron’s effect on frontline health care workers and precautions to take for those who start showing symptoms and can’t find a test.

Thursday’s COVID-19 numbers

The San Antonio Metropolitan Health District said the omicron variant has led to a three-fold increase in daily cases of COVID-19 with the seven-day moving average of new daily cases is now at 3,116.

ALSO ON KSAT.COM: 5 charts show COVID-19 surge in San Antonio

Metro Health’s COVID-19 dashboard showed an increase of 2,358 new cases on Thuesday. There were also six new deaths reported, bringing the total to 15 deaths over the past seven days.

There are 625 COVID patients in local hospitals, with 142 in ICU and 52 on ventilators. Metro Health’s dashboard shows there are 10% of staffed beds available and 65% of ventilators available.

“At the Health Science Center, our opinion is that we’ll probably see a peak in about mid-January. We expect it to steeply drop off, and we hope to be back to our prior baseline sometime in the first week of February,” Berggren said. “So we don’t expect it to be as long lived as, say, the delta surge that we had.”

See more of today’s COVID-19 statistics and city resources for the public here.

Frontline workers out of circulation after infection

Berggren said the health care workforce, as well as other industries, are taking a hit due to the surge of omicron cases.

“Vaccinated doctors and nurses are getting symptomatic from omicron. And when that happens, we have to take them out of circulation to protect the sick people in the hospital. So workforces are being affected. That is that is not a hypothetical,” she said during the KSAT Q&A. “It’s already happening, and we need to do everything we can to double down and make sure that we keep our society functioning, which means keeping all of our frontline workers, whatever frontline worker it may be, in good health.”

Reinfection amid omicron surge

Berggren said people have significantly less protection with omicron if they’ve had a different variant of COVID before and are reinfected.

“Previously, we were quoted that with a prior infection, you had maybe up to an 85% protection from the delta variant, and that was particularly true for the first three months or so after your infection,” she said. “…Well, guess what? Omicron is a whole new ballgame. Your protection from prior infection has fallen down as low as 19%. So from 85% protection for a few months, down to 19%. Do not count on your prior COVID infection to protect you from omicron. To be protected from omicron, you need to be fully vaccinated and boosted.”

What to do until you can find a test

The infectious disease specialist discussed with Spriester and Arthur during the Q&A what people should do after being exposed or coming down with symptoms and aren’t able to get tested.

“If you’ve had an exposure — you’re unvaccinated, you do need to go home and you need to quarantine if you are symptomatic and you can’t get a test,” Berggren said. “But if you think you’ve got COVID based on loss of smell or feeling achy or cough. Put your mask on and take yourself out of circulation. That’s going to do a lot of good, even if the tests aren’t available.”

Watch the entire Q&A interview with Dr. Berggren in the video player above.

Metro Health has announced the locations of three new no-cost testing sites

Alamo Colleges District Support Operations Building, 2222 N. Alamo St. 78215 – Opens Thursday, January 6 at 8 a.m. and will operate Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.Palo Alto College Building 23 (Performing Arts Center), 1400 W. Villaret Blvd. 78224 – Opens Friday, January 7 at 8 a.m. and will operate Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.St. Philip’s College, 1801 Martin Luther King Dr. San Antonio, TX 78203 – Opens Monday, January 10 at 8 a.m. and will operate Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Metro Health says more testing sites will be announced as the locations are confirmed, and it will notify the public when they are expected to open. No appointments are necessary for testing at the new walk-up sites.

City health officials also offer the following testing guidelines

Consider using a self-test before joining indoor gatherings with others who are not in your household.A positive self-test result means that you have an infection and should avoid indoor gatherings to reduce the risk of spreading the disease to someone else.A negative self-test result means that you may not have an infection. Repeating the test with at least 24 hours between tests will increase the confidence that you are not infected.Ask your healthcare provider if you need help interpreting your test results.

Click here to access more information about other city no-cost testing sites.

Also on KSAT:

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As COVID-19 cases surge again in Bexar County, so has the need for testing.

But as residents rush to their nearest testing sites, health officials are urging them to ensure the sites are legitimate, warning of “fake” testing sites. However, it’s unclear how big of a problem those are at the moment.

San Antonio Metropolitan Health District Medical Director Dr. Junda Woo told reporters at a news conference Thursday morning “MetroHealth has been made aware this week about fake testing sites popping up around San Antonio and around Texas.”

The “scammers,” she said, aren’t running the tests correctly, and “in some cases, their main interest is in your personal information, your date of birth, your medical insurance.”

“In some cases, what we’ve heard is that they’re running these 20 minute tests in about five minutes,” Woo told KSAT. “So that would mean that you could be….your test will probably be negative, even if you’re positive, right? And that means you could still be transmitting the virus. In other cases, I’m worried that maybe they’re going to be trying to commit Medicaid or Medicare fraud with your information.”

When asked for details on what sites had been identified as “fake,” a Metro Health spokesman told KSAT in an emailed statement, “At this time, we have two sites that are under investigation. If the investigation finds that they are fraudulently operating, we will share the information publicly.”

Woo advised residents seeking tests to be on the lookout for warning signs of a possible “scam site:”

There are no logos on any of the organizational materialsThe testing location is in the middle of the sidewalk or another unusual locationIt’s not affiliated with the storefront or building where it’s set upIt’s not affiliated with a local medical organization or laboratoryAn upfront cost is “especially” a red flag, Woo said

If you suspect a site is a scam, Woo said to “ask more questions, check out their website, call them, get more information.”

Fraudulent sites can be reported through the Federal Trade Commission website, Woo said.

To ensure you’re at a legitimate site, you can also check the city’s list of testing locations. While the list may not contain every legitimate testing site, Woo said it does have every legitimate, free testing site.

Related Stories:

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Two San Antonio women have been arrested on several charges in connection with a robbery in San Marcos.

The San Marcos Police Department said Lyndsey Garza and Emily Gonzalez went into a restaurant, fired a weapon and demanded cash. They drove off and led officers on a high-speed chase, officials said.

SMPD said the women eventually crashed into a concrete barrier on I-35 and tried to run off, but they couldn’t get away.

Police recovered the weapon and stolen money.

Garza and Gonzalez face several charges, including aggravated robbery, evading arrest and tampering with evidence.

Hundreds of thousands of bed rails, bunk beds and portable air conditioners have been recalled after a half-dozen deaths connected to the use of the different products.

Bed rails recalled

Compass Health Brands is recalling 104,900 Carex portable bed rails for adults after three reported deaths. All were seniors in their 80s who became trapped between the rail and the bed and suffocated, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Both bed support rails and easy-up rails are affected by the recall.

Owners are urged to stop using them and contact Compass Health Brands for a repair kit or refund.

The bed rails were sold at medical supply businesses, Amazon and Walmart.com. For more information, click here.

Essential Medical Supply also is recalling 272,000 adult bed rails because of the same risk of entrapment and asphyxiation. One death of an older adult has been reported.

The company is recalling four models of Endurance Hand Bed Rails sold since 2006. They were also sold by medical suppliers, Amazon and Walmart.com.

Consumers should contact the manufacturer. For more information, click here.

Bunk beds recalled

Nearly 40,000 bunk beds are being recalled after the death of a 2-year-old boy.

Longwood Forest is pulling the Angel Line bunk beds with angled ladders. The hazard is a potential gap between the ladder and the bed, where a child could become trapped.

The bunk beds were sold online at Walmart.com, Wayfair.com, and Amazon between 2016 and 2021.

For more information, click here.

Portable air conditioners recalled

Royal Sovereign is recalling more than 33,000 portable air conditioners after 11 reports of fire or smoke. One fire resulted in the death of an adult and injuries to two children.

Owners should unplug the units and get instructions from the company.

The units were sold at several major retailers, including Amazon, Sears, Costco, Home Depot, and Best Buy.

More information can be found by clicking here.

Infant bath seats recalled

Hundreds of infant bath seats are under recall because they present a risk of drowning.

Karmas Far is recalling the bath seats that are part of 2-in-1 and 3-in-1 booster seats. The bath seats failed to meet stability standards and may too easily tip over in the bathwater. More information can be found by clicking here.

Local leaders are working to add more testing sites to meet increasing demand.

A former special education aide at Seguin High School was booked in Guadalupe County Jail Wednesday on charges of sexual assault of a child and improper relationship between an educator and a student.

Kimberly Lynn Nelson, 27, is also charged with tampering/fabricating physical evidence, jail records show. The offense date is listed as Dec. 18.

According to the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Office, an investigation revealed that Nelson had a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old male student.

Seguin High School principal Hector Esquivel sent a letter to school faculty on Thursday stating that the district didn’t learn of the allegations against Nelson until Tuesday, the day before her arrest.

Nelson was placed on administrative leave on Tuesday and has since resigned, according to Esquivel.

“The safety and security of our students is our highest priority. As part of the hiring process, the Seguin ISD Human Resources department performs comprehensive background checks and criminal history to ensure that our classrooms are staffed with individuals who are dedicated to creating safe learning environments,” Esquivel said in the letter.

Jail records show Nelson is currently still in custody and her bond is set at $175,000.

“Learning that one of our aides has been charged with a crime against a child is unsettling to me and my staff,” Esquivel said. “Our counselors are available to meet with those students who need support.

Due to an ongoing investigation, anyone with information regarding Nelson is asked to call Sgt. Shockley with the Guadalupe County Sheriff’s Department at 830-379-1224, ext. 2268.

Staff Message 01-06-21

The surge of the omicron variant has fueled the growth of COVID-19 infections across the globe, disrupting daily operations once again.

In San Antonio, where the COVID-19 risk level was raised to “severe” earlier this week, San Antonio Metropolitan Health District said the omicron variant has led to a three-fold increase in daily cases of COVID-19 with the seven-day moving average of new daily cases now at 2,875.

Long lines have been reported at COVID-19 test sites and several local universities have delayed the start of the spring semester or shifted to remote instruction.

Officials worry about the surge’s impact on Bexar County hospitals.

“This burden on hospitals is affecting doctors, nurses, and other key medical staff, who are also getting sick and are having to miss work, unable to care for patients in our hospitals,” Wolff said in a written statement. “If you haven’t already, get vaccinated.”

Here are five charts breaking down the latest COVID-19 surge in San Antonio.

Daily new cases

One of the first warning signs to look at is the number of new COVID-19 cases confirmed each day in San Antonio.

The numbers begin to soar over the holidays and into the new year.

Medical experts do not just look the daily intake of cases, they also consider the 7-day average of new cases. San Antonio has averaged more than 1,000 cases per day since New Year’s Day.

Metro Health has reported at least 2,700 new infections every day since Jan. 1, the numbers showed, indicating that the virus has been spreading rapidly throughout the community.

Positivity rate

Concerned officials have also been pointing to the skyrocketing weekly positivity rate —the percentage of COVID-19 tests that come back positive.

Before the holidays, Bexar County’s positivity rate hovered around 2%, well below the 5% benchmark set by local officials.

Metro Health did not report the positivity rate the week before Christmas, but between Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve, the positivity rate hit 27.3%. That’s a 1,140% increase over two weeks that shows nearly one in three COVID-19 swabs in Bexar County are coming back positive.

Hospitalizations

Hospitalizations are one of the most important metrics being followed by experts across the state of Texas.

Though COVID-19 hospitalizations in Bexar County are currently down compared to other peaks, the numbers have still seen a dramatic increase since Christmas Day.

That day, 202 patients were hospitalized with COVID-19. As of Jan. 5, that number has hit 569 — a 181% increase.

The infections have taken a toll on health care workers and hospital capacity.

Seven COVID-19 deaths were reported Wednesday, raising the Bexar County death toll to 4,984. As hospitalizations increase, the death toll may surpass 5,000 in the coming days.

Omicron variant

It did not take long for the omicron variant to dominate the new infections that have been reported in recent weeks.

CDC data shows that omicron makes up 98.2% of new cases in the southern region, which includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas.

Experts, like local infectious disease epidemiologist Cherise Rohr Allegrini, say the data clearly shows this variant is more contagious than the ones before it.

“(Omicron is) more contagious. That means you’re going to have more people affected by it, and we know that the two doses of the vaccine are not quite good enough,” Rohr Allegrini said. “So we need to get that third dose in. But (omicron) is more contagious, and it’s just a numbers game. The more people you have infected, the more likely that you’re going to have folks that have severe disease because it’s out there, whereas before it wasn’t as contagious.”

On Monday, Metro Health reported that the variant makes up between 90% and 100% of new cases in the county.

READ MORE FROM KSAT:

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For much of the country, winter means cold and snow and a whole lot of ick: Roads get icy, sidewalks get slushy, and everyone heads indoors, hibernating like bears, until spring. Obviously, San Antonio doesn’t (usually) have this problem. One epic freeze aside, San Antonio’s temperate climate means life here goes on pretty much the way it does the rest of the year: wine on the patio, strolling the River Walk, yoga in the park….